Emma’s Story

 

Sport Australia Hall of Fame Athlete Member, World Triathlon Hall of Fame inductee and Multiple World Champion, Emma Carney raced her first triathlon in 1993, competed in her first International Triathlon at the World Championships in 1994 and won that race by the largest margin in the history of the sport.

During 1995, 1996 and 1997 Emma won all but three races and took Triathlons to a new level of speed, power and athleticism.

Emma became a two time World Champion, three time World Number one & nine time Australian Triathlon Champion.

Prior to being a triathlete, Emma had a background in athletics and was one of Australia’s leading young distance Athletes.

As a talented junior distance runner, Emma won national school titles on the track (1500m and 3000m). As a senior athlete, Emma represented Australia in two World Cross Country Championships and two Australian Road Relay Teams and in 1993 ran the 7th fastest time by an Australian over 3km.

Emma throughout her career was renowned to posses a lethal bike and run combination which enabled her to destroy her competition. Much of this athletic prowess was thought to be due to her abnormally low resting heart rate (recorded to be below 30 at the AIS during altitude testing and training effects studies) combined with her extremely high lactate tolerance threshold. It was thought perhaps Emma was able to race at her maximum heart rate, with little to no lactate build up allowing her to maintain speed, whilst opponents struggled in the back end of races.

Emma was forced to retire, in 2004, when she was diagnosed with a serious heart condition. Emma had raced with a heart condition for a number of years & still remained competitive internationally. Emma was initially told by doctors she ‘would never exercise again’, as she was to be the recipient of an ICD (defibrillator).

Since this time Emma has worked with her Cardiologist and has returned to a level of fitness that allows her to continue an active lifestyle.

Emma is now involved in high performance triathlon coaching with the International governing body World Triathlon, and provides coaching programs through emmacarney.com .  She also remains true to where her career started and works in school sporing programs as an events coordinator for a group of Private Schools in Melbourne.  

Emma recently penned her own Autobiography - Hard Wired, Life Death and Triathlon - which has been described as one of the most honest accounts of the ruthless side of High Performance Sport.

Emma Carney – Sporting Career:

Triathlon:

  • World Triathlon Champion 1994 (Wellington NZ)

  • World Triathlon Champion 1997 (Perth Australia)

  • World Number 1 Triathlete 1995, 1996, 1997

  • Triathlon World Cup Champion 1995, 1996, 1997

  • 9 Time Australian Triathlon Champion

    • Australian Triathlon Champion 1995, 1997, 1998

    • Australian Sprint Distance Triathlon Champion 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000

    • Australian Long Distance Triathlon Champion 2000, 2001

  • Australian Triathlete of the Year 1995, 2000

  • Fastest Ever Time for an Olympic Distance non-drafting Triathlon (1hour 54min 22sec)

    • Noosa Triathlon Record

  • Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductee

  • World Triathlon (ITU) Hall of Fame inductee

  • Triathlon Australia Hall of Fame inductee

  • Triathlon Victoria Legend of Multisport inductee

Duathlon:

  • Australian Duathlon Champion 1994, 1997, 2001

Athletics:

  • Athletics Australia Representative Bib #700

  • Represented Australia at two World Cross Country Championships & two Road Relay Teams

  • Junior National School Track Champion 1500m & 3000m

Coaching Accreditation:

  • World Triathlon Accredited Level 2 Coach (highest available)

  • British Triathlon Level 2 Coach

  • AUS Cycling Performance Coach

  • Athletics Australia Level 2 Coach

  • World Triathlon Coach Development, Education Facilitator and Athlete Liaison

  • Triathlon High Performance Coach

  • Ironman University Graduate Coach