Erin Margaret Baker (born 23 May 1961) is a former New Zealand

triathlete A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of swimming, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the time transitioning between the d ...

. She won many world championship and Ironman titles.

Early life

Baker was born in 1961 in

Kaiapoi Kaiapoi is a town in the Waimakariri District of the Canterbury region, in the South Island of New Zealand. The town is located approximately 17 kilometres north of central Christchurch, close to the mouth of the Waimakariri River. It is con ...

, New Zealand. Upon the suggestion by her mother, Mary, Baker began running competitively at age 15 and showed ability right from the start. "I remember the first day Erin competed in a cross-country race. I was waiting for her to come in thinking God, she won't be very pleased because she hasn’t done very well. In fact, I missed her crossing the finish line a quarter of an hour earlier, in first place." Baker is one of eight children. Her siblings include Philippa Baker (New Zealand rower and 1991 & 1994 Halberg award winner) and Kathy and Maureen who were both national titlists in swimming and aerobics.

Competitive career

Baker was originally coached by John Hellemans but controlled and developed her successful career by self-training, "I was self-trained. I just trained as much as my body would handle, and that was a shit load. I trained and trained, and I trained more if I had time. I never got injured so I would often do more in case somebody else was training while I was resting". In 1981 she was convicted of throwing explosive devices while protesting during the South African Rugby team tour of New Zealand. This act prevented her from entering the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

for several years, restricting her from competing in any American competitions. Baker was also known for her protests at the Hawaii Ironman competitions when she rebelled against the notion of the winner of the men's division receiving a car and the women's division winner receiving nothing for her efforts. She voiced her opinions on numerous occasions and as a result was well known as a controversial athlete. She finished her triathlon career in 1994 with a record of 104 wins from 121 triathlons entered. Baker was named "Triathlete of the decade" by American magazine ''Triathlete''. The magazine commented on her success by saying, "We’ve stopped trying to figure Erin out, we just accept her as the best female triathlete that ever lived". In the

1993 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1993 were appointments by most of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other countr ...

, Baker was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, for services as a triathlete.

Results

* 1984 entered and won her first ever triathlon in Sydney * 1985 won the world middle-distance championship in Nice, France * 1986 New Zealand Ironman female winner (9:26.3) * 1986 Won the world middle-distance championship in Nice, France (Disqualified 8 hours post race due to rule infractions) * 1987 New Zealand Iron Man female winner (9:17.3) * 1987 Winner of female division at Ford Ironman championships in Hawaii (shattered previous course record) * 1987 Winner of the world short course title * 1988 Won the world middle-distance championship in Nice, France * 1988 Winner of the world short course title * 1988 Won World Championships (Olympic distance) in Canada * 1988 Winner of the world short course title * 1989 Named New Zealand Sportsperson of the year at Halberg awards * 1990 Won the Women's demonstration

Triathlon A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of Swimming (sport), swimming, Cycle sport, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the t ...

at the

1990 Commonwealth Games The 1990 Commonwealth Games ( mi, 1990 Taumāhekeheke Commonwealth) were held in Auckland, New Zealand from 24 January – 3 February 1990. It was the 14th Commonwealth Games, and part of New Zealand's 1990 sesquicentennial celebrations. Partic ...

; competed in Women's 10,000 m in National championships * 1990 Winner of female division at Ford Ironman championships in Hawaii * 1990 New Zealand Ironman female winner (9.38.3) * 1991 Won the World Duathlon title * 1994 New Zealand Ironman female winner (9.54.1) * 1994 Retired as a professional athlete * 1995 Inducted in the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame * Winner of 9 Ironman titles

Post triathlon career

Baker now lives in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, New Zealand with her husband and fellow triathlete

Scott Molina Scott Molina (born February 29, 1960) is a retired triathlete. His most memorable performances took place at the Ironman World Championships in Kona Hawaii. The peak of his career coincided with the going out of Dave Scott and coming in o ...

. Together she and Molina (nicknamed Skid) have two children. Baker has also served as a councillor on

Christchurch City Council The Christchurch City Council is the local government authority for Christchurch in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority elected to represent the people of Christchurch. Since October 2022, the Mayor of Christchurch is Phil Mauger, who ...

(resigned January 2004), and has served on

Canterbury District Health Board The Canterbury District Health Board (Canterbury DHB or CDHB) was a district health board with the focus on providing healthcare to the Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury region of New Zealand, north of the Rangitata River. It was responsible fo ...

and on the boards of Jade Stadium Ltd and Christchurch and Canterbury Marketing Ltd.

References

* Heidenstrom, Peter (1992) ''Athletes of the Century: 100 years of New Zealand track and field'' (GP Publications, Wellington)

External links

New Zealand's Wonder Woman

2004 Christchurch Election results

Halberg Award
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Erin Ironman world champions 1961 births Living people New Zealand female triathletes Sportspeople from Christchurch People from Kaiapoi Duathletes Commonwealth Games competitors for New Zealand Athletes (track and field) at the 1990 Commonwealth Games Christchurch City Councillors New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire Canterbury District Health Board members 20th-century New Zealand women 21st-century New Zealand women