Tim Don
Encyclopedia
Timothy Philip Don (born 14 January 1978 in Isleworth
, London) is a triathlete
from the United Kingdom
.
. He took tenth place with a total time of 1hr 49min 28.85sec. In the second Olympic triathlon at the 2004 Summer Olympics
he was placed eighteenth with a total time of 1hr 54min 42.13sec. Don was controversially selected for the 2008 Beijing Olympics despite serving a ban for missed out of competition drug tests. At the Beijing Olympics Don failed to finish after exiting the swim in 48th place (out of 55) and was pulled out of the race by officials for being too far behind on the bike leg. The British team later admitted that he was ill prior to the Beijing race.
On 3 September 2006 in Lausanne
Don became World Champion after finishing 17 seconds in front of Hamish Carter
. Following the swim, he was in the lead group on the bike but missed the initial break. He bridged the gap alone and caught the lead group on lap 5 out of 6, then took the lead along with Carter on the run, breaking clear about halfway through.
However his performance was overshadowed by a three month ban a few weeks later for missing three out of competition drug tests within an 18 month period prior to the race. The ban expired on 25 December 2006, but a byelaw meant that Don remained ineligible for Olympic selection. On Friday, 25 May 2007, Don was cleared by the British Olympic Association for selection for future Olympic Games after appealing against a ban for missing doping tests. The BOA appeals panel whilst clearing Don to compete in future Olympic Games criticised him for being "indisputably careless and irresponsible".
Don won the 2007 London Triathlon in a time of 1hr 42min 1sec on 5 August 2007.
Don was coached by controversial Australian Brett Sutton
. Don is now coached by the retired New Zealand triathlete, Ben Bright
.
world rankings at the end of 2008. His highest year-end ranking was 3rd in 2005.
. He is also the cousin of Adam Diamond, rising tennis star from Coventry.
Isleworth
Isleworth is a small town of Saxon origin sited within the London Borough of Hounslow in west London, England. It lies immediately east of the town of Hounslow and west of the River Thames and its tributary the River Crane. Isleworth's original area of settlement, alongside the Thames, is known as...
, London) is a triathlete
Triathlon
A triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances...
from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Career
Don competed at the first Olympic triathlon at the 2000 Summer Olympics2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
. He took tenth place with a total time of 1hr 49min 28.85sec. In the second Olympic triathlon at the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
he was placed eighteenth with a total time of 1hr 54min 42.13sec. Don was controversially selected for the 2008 Beijing Olympics despite serving a ban for missed out of competition drug tests. At the Beijing Olympics Don failed to finish after exiting the swim in 48th place (out of 55) and was pulled out of the race by officials for being too far behind on the bike leg. The British team later admitted that he was ill prior to the Beijing race.
On 3 September 2006 in Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
Don became World Champion after finishing 17 seconds in front of Hamish Carter
Hamish Carter
Hamish Clive Carter ONZM is a New Zealand triathlete. He won the gold medal in triathlon at the 2004 Summer Olympics, his second Olympic games. Carter also competed on the International Triathlon Union World Cup circuit as a professional for many years, culminating in a silver medal in 2006 before...
. Following the swim, he was in the lead group on the bike but missed the initial break. He bridged the gap alone and caught the lead group on lap 5 out of 6, then took the lead along with Carter on the run, breaking clear about halfway through.
However his performance was overshadowed by a three month ban a few weeks later for missing three out of competition drug tests within an 18 month period prior to the race. The ban expired on 25 December 2006, but a byelaw meant that Don remained ineligible for Olympic selection. On Friday, 25 May 2007, Don was cleared by the British Olympic Association for selection for future Olympic Games after appealing against a ban for missing doping tests. The BOA appeals panel whilst clearing Don to compete in future Olympic Games criticised him for being "indisputably careless and irresponsible".
Don won the 2007 London Triathlon in a time of 1hr 42min 1sec on 5 August 2007.
Don was coached by controversial Australian Brett Sutton
Brett Sutton
Brett Sutton is an Australian triathlon coach and a former professional boxer, boxing coach, greyhound trainer, racehorse trainer and swimming coach, who is currently head coach of the triathlon team teamTBB. He has coached many World and Olympic champions, including current Ironman world record...
. Don is now coached by the retired New Zealand triathlete, Ben Bright
Ben Bright
Benjamin "Ben" Clifford Bright is an athlete from New Zealand, who competes in triathlon.Bright competed at the first Olympic triathlon at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. He took thirty-eighth place with a total time of 1:52:17.26.Later on he took up the job of coaching Mantas, a local swim...
.
World ranking
Don was ranked 13th in the ITUInternational Triathlon Union
The International Triathlon Union or ITU is the international governing body for the multi-sport disciplines of triathlon, duathlon, aquathlon and other nonstandard variations...
world rankings at the end of 2008. His highest year-end ranking was 3rd in 2005.
| Year | Ranking |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 24th |
| 2002 | 26th |
| 2003 | 17th |
| 2004 | 8th |
| 2005 | 3rd |
| 2006 | 14th |
| 2007 | 13th |
| 2008 | 13th |
Family background
He is the son of former Premier League referee Philip DonPhilip Don
Philip Don is a former football referee and school headteacher from England. Don was originally from Sheffield but his teaching career took him south to Middlesex...
. He is also the cousin of Adam Diamond, rising tennis star from Coventry.