Michael Weiss (triathlete)

Michael Weiss (born 17 January 1981) is an Austrian triathlete and cyclist. He represented Austria in the 2004 Summer Olympics in men's mountain bike, cross-country^[1] and is the 2011 XTERRA Triathlon world champion.^[2]

Michael Weiss

Personal information
Nickname	Michi
Born	(1981-01-17) 17 January 1981 (age 44) Gumpoldskirchen, Austria
Height	187 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight	79 kg (174 lb)
Sport
Country	Austria
Club	Ciclopia Triteam
Coached by	Mario Huys
Medal record Men's triathlon Representing  Austria XTERRA Triathlon World Championship 2011 XTERRA Triathlon Elite 2008 XTERRA Triathlon Elite 2010 XTERRA Triathlon Elite 2009 XTERRA Triathlon Elite

Career

Mountain biking

Weiss was a member of the Austrian national mountain bike team from 1999–2008. In 2003, he won the under–23 European Mountain Bike Championships.^[3] The next year, in 2004, he became the Austrian mountain bike champion and competed in the 2004 Summer Olympic's mountain bike race where he placed 32nd with a time 2:30:14.^[1] After failing to qualify for 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Weiss eventually turned to triathlon.^[4]

Triathlon

Weiss took his skill in mountain biking and applied them to the XTERRA Triathlon series. He has had success at the championships in Maui placing second in 2008, third in 2009 and 2010 before winning the championship in 2011.^[2][4] In May 2010, Weiss became the first Austrian to win an Ironman competition by winning the 2010 Ironman St.George race.^[5] In 2013, in his first race after serving his two-year doping ban, Weiss won Ironman Cozumel.^[6]

Doping ban

In November 2011, Weiss was given a two–year ban for a blood doping infringement in 2005 while competing in mountain biking. An independent commission of Austria's anti-doping agency (Nationale Anti-Doping Agentur Austria, NADA), said that it had found Weiss to be guilty of having his blood taken for enrichment at a blood lab in Vienna in 2005.^[7] NADA initially cleared Weiss in September 2010, but that decision was reversed a year later and subsequently issued the ban from competition.^[8] Weiss declared his innocence but chose not to appeal the ban, citing the time and expense that would be required to do so.^[9]

References

1. "Michael Weiss". Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
2. "2011 XTERRA World Championship Overall Results". JTL Timing Systems. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
3. "European MTB Championships". Cyclingnews. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
4. Carlson, Timothy (15 April 2011). "A conversation with Michael Weiss". Slowtwitch.com. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
5. "Weiss And Wurtele Take Inaugural Ironman St. George". Competitor Group, Inc. 3 May 2010. Archived from the original on 1 May 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
6. Krabel, Herbert (1 December 2013). "Ironman Cozumel titles to Michael Weiss and Rachel Joyce". Slowtwitch.com. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
7. "Austrian triathlete Michael Weiss banned for 2 years for doping infringement in 2005". The Washington Post. 29 November 2011. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
8. "Two-year ban on ex-mountain biker Weiss" (in German). Kurier.at. 29 November 2011. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
9. "Michael Weiss Will Not Appeal Doping Ban". Competitor Group, Inc. 2 December 2011. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2011.

External links

• Official website