Everyone knows Javier Gomez is a contender whenever he toes the starting line. Widely recognized as one of the top athletes to beat on the ITU circuit with an Olympic silver medal and 14 ITU World Cups under his belt, Javi is the first athlete male or female to win five ITU World Championships.

In recent years Javi has shown his dominance even in non-drafting, offroad, and long-course triathlon. He has won the 5150 World Championship twice and the XTERRA World Championship and Ironman 70.3 World Championship in his maiden attempts. In 2014, he won the ITU World Championship and the Ironman 70.3 World Championship with less than a week’s time between the two.

He discovered triathlon when he was 15 years old and quickly hit his stride both in the junior and open elite categories. His rise to triathlon champion did not come without obstacles, though; the detection of a cardiac anomaly in 1999 prevented him from representing Spain in international competition. His determination kept him going. With the support of world-reknowned cardiac specialists Javi recovered his international license and has continued to prove his ability to compete at the highest level.