An Illawarra-raised triathlon titan who got into the sport when challenged by a colleague has been honoured as Wollongong prepares to host the world's top triathlon talent.
Former world ironman champion Ben Bell, named coach of the year when the Illawarra Academy of Sport (IAS) celebrated its recent 40th anniversary, said coaching had revived his passion in the sport and that the recognition was an honour.
“We’ve got three other coaches on the triathlon program, and we all pitch in and help one another, combining our skills to deliver a really good program,'' Ben says. ''It’s really rewarding; a lot of work goes into it, and it’s time-consuming, but I get just as much out of it personally as the time I put into it.”
Ben, who has been coaching triathletes since 2019, has been head coach at IAS for five years, supporting young athletes to excel locally, nationally and internationally. structuring training for athletes and guiding them along their triathlon pathways.
“You’re basically training for three sports,” Ben says. ''Most of the kids are swimming four to five sessions a week and are in the pool most mornings. They alternate afternoons between running and riding, and then on the weekend they might do a ride and a run together or an open water swim.
“The goal is hopefully progressing from state-based competition ... some of our older athletes are looking to compete internationally in the coming year. By the time they've matured at 18 and leave the program, they're progressing to racing on the international stage. That's what we're trying to achieve with most of them.”
The sport is having its time to shine locally as the world's best descend for the world championships, being held in Wollongong from October 15-19. Activity will be centred on Lang Park and Belmore Basin for the event, which has been planned over the past 18 months.
Some of Ben’s athletes are re-arranging their training regimes to prepare for the big event.
"The kids that are competing at the worlds – their training is definitely pretty full on at the moment. But it’s a really good community here and we’re blessed with the environment we’ve got – it lends itself to a good training base for a lot of athletes,” he says.
“The sport has a pretty vibrant community down here, and we’ve had some really good athletes, some of the best squads in the world train out of Wollongong over the years.''
Ben was recognised by IAS in 2023, earning the Coaching Leadership and Excellence Award for his commitment to the program and efforts to build a positive culture and strong program for his athletes. He received the Pathway Coach of the Year Award at the 2023 AusTriathlon Awards. But Ben says the highlights of his career are the amazing athletes he’s worked with.
Two years ago, former Edmund Rice College student Mitchell Blackbourn made the Australian junior elite triathlon team and stepped onto an international podium in Ireland last year. Young para-athlete Jack Gibson has won gold and silver at national competitions and hopes to compete for Australia in the 2026 Paralympics. For Ben, the athletes he helps to train are at the heart of his rewarding career.
"For me personally, it's just seeing the kids achieve their goals as they grow and mature – seeing their skills progress and enjoy what they're doing from a young age,” he says.
Ben has played sport his whole life and began triathlon in 2010 after a colleague challenged him to a race. He fell in love with the sport straight away, and went on to compete with enormous success. In 2015, he was ironman world champion, and he was placed third in 2017. He was second at the 70.3 world championship in 2016 and is a five-time finisher of the sport's holy grail event – Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, where he has finished in the top 10 four times.
“As I was getting older, it was time to wind back and I found that coaching revived my passion,” Ben says.
IAS was first imagined in the early 1980s by a small group of passionate sports enthusiasts at the University of Wollongong who wanted to help young high performance athletes to pursue sporting glory from the comfort of the Illawarra. In 2025, IAS is celebrating 40 years of supporting talented young athletes, having pioneered the regional academy model in Australian sport.
"I thank the academy for all their support over the years.” Ben says. ''They run really good programs and it's just a pleasure to be involved with the Academy of Sport. They do a really good job locally, developing local athletes.''
For more details on the World Triathlon Championship Finals, visit the website
