Australia
Greg Welch OAM (born 1964 in Sydney, Australia) is an Australian triathlete, acknowledged as one of the greatest in the history of the sport due to his remarkable dominance in winning a “Grand Slam” which included the ITU Triathlon World Championships (1990), The Ironman World Championship (1994), the ITU Duathlon World Championships (1993) and the Long Course Triathlon World Championship (1994). Greg was also an ambassador to the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) in 2000.
The programme “60 Minutes” even once anointed Welch the world’s fittest human. However, he was diagnosed with ‘Ventricular Tachycardia’, and underwent nine open-heart surgeries from 2001 until 2003, and lived on to tell the tale and thrive. He maintains contact with triathlon through his work as an advisor, coach and commentator.
To Quote Welch: “Who’s the luckiest man in the world? It isn’t ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.’ It’s me.” He is married to fellow Ironman triathlete Sian Welch.
