It was July, 1997 and I had just received a text from my dad that simply said, "I've added a race to your schedule." I had only recently started travelling with a mobile phone. It was one of those old Nokia bricks where sending a text meant using SMS multitap – pressing the same key multiple times to find the right letter. Dad's message left me wanting a lot more information than he had provided. I tried to text him back, but in those days Australia was a very long way away and replying to an international text wasn't always easy. Instead, I made a reverse-charge call home because there was no way I was paying for an international mobile call.
"The ITU has added a new World Cup race in Hungary, in a place called... Tisza-something," Dad told me. "I'll fax you the details."
I remember asking him to send the fax straight away. I liked to know exactly what my racing schedule looked like so I could plan my training around it. I headed down to the accommodation office to collect the fax, slightly annoyed that I was using my legs unnecessarily. I'd already finished my swim session for the day, this was eating into my recovery time, and I still had a bike and run session to do.
Within ten minutes, the fax had arrived. The race was in Tiszaújváros, Hungary, on 10 August 1997.
As the World No. 1 at the time, I expected to be fighting for the win at every World Cup I entered, and Tiszaújváros was no different. What I didn't know was that this 'new race in Hungary' would go on to become the longest-running event on the World Triathlon calendar and one of the most iconic races in our sport.
Nearly thirty years after that fax arrived, Tiszaújváros continues to write its own chapter in triathlon history.
The 2026 edition will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the greatest weekends ever for Hungarian triathlon. Competing in front of a passionate home crowd, Hungarian athletes claimed victory in all four international races, with junior athletes Csenge Szász and András Szűcs winning the Junior European Cup races before Fanni Szalai and Csongor Lehmann completed an extraordinary clean sweep in the elite World Cup events. To add to the impressive result, no one has ever, in the history of World Triathlon events, won 6 years in a row as Csongor Lehmann has in what the triathlon world now fondly calls 'Tiszy'.
For Tibor Lehmann, President and Head Coach of the Tiszaújváros Triathlon Club and Chief Organiser of the Tiszaújváros Triathlon Festival, it was the culmination of years of work.
"The junior competition was already special because both the girls' and boys' races were won by Hungarian athletes. That is very rare," Lehmann reflected. "Then the elite races followed. Everyone expected Csongor to be competitive, but winning for a sixth time is never easy. I hoped Fanni would make the podium, but I didn't expect her to win so convincingly. Four races, four Hungarian victories—we don't know how we could improve on that."
What makes those performances even more significant is the timing. With Olympic qualification now underway, every World Cup point matters. Racing at home gives Hungarian athletes not only the support of their local crowd but also an opportunity to strengthen their international rankings against world-class competition. Lehmann believes that is exactly why Tiszaújváros remains such an important fixture on the calendar.
"We need an international race in Hungary because our athletes can score valuable points here. The pressure of racing at home, and the familiarity of the course, bring out the best in our team."
But Tiszaújváros has always been about more than the elite races. The Junior European Cup has become an integral part of the festival, giving the next generation the chance to experience the atmosphere of a World Cup long before they reach the elite ranks. It is a pathway that has already proven successful, with athletes like Fanni Szalai progressing through the junior programme before claiming victory on the same streets as an elite athlete. That development pathway is no accident. It reflects nearly three decades of careful planning by the organisers, who have built Tiszaújváros into much more than a one-day race. The festival now brings together international racing, community celebrations, concerts and local events, transforming the town into one of the sport's most recognisable destinations each year.
While we celebrate the athletes who have returned to Tiszaújváros year after year, the success of this event has always depended on the dedication of people behind the scenes. Few embody that commitment more than Head Referee Béla Varga, who has been involved in every single edition of the race.
"Since the first Triathlon World Cup was held in Tiszaújváros in 1997, both the event and the people behind it have come a long way. The same is true for the Technical Officials and their role in the event. In the early years, it was challenging to find a few local TOs who could speak enough English to understand and apply the international competition rules. To strengthen the local TO team, together with ITU technical staff, several officials were invited from other parts of Hungary and from other countries as well. Today, many SFTOs apply to come to “Tiszy” to learn from the local team and gain unforgettable experience at this unique event. Over the past nearly 30 years, not only the competition rules but also the race format has evolved significantly. From a drafting standard-distance race with two transition zones and the swim in the fast-flowing Tisza River, we have moved to a semifinal-final format over sprint distance, with one transition zone, drafting on the bike, and a three-lap swim course in the pond in the city centre. These changes in race setup and competition rules have required the TO team to keep learning and adapting continuously. As the focus of the officials’ work has also shifted - from mainly bike drafting control and helmet checks to swim behaviour monitoring, bike equipment and uniform compliance checks, mount and dismount line violation control, and equipment placement checks in transition - the years have added up to a much larger story of development. Looking back, it is clear that these incremental changes have formed a remarkable arc of progress. Alongside this technical evolution, the LOC has consistently delivered the values that make Tiszaújváros unique: professionalism, hospitality, and a genuine commitment to development and excellence. Being part of this journey from the very beginning, and witnessing every stage of its evolution, is an exceptional privilege.”
Looking back, it's remarkable to think that when I crossed the line in 1997, Tiszaújváros was simply another new race on the World Cup calendar, earning me valuable world ranking points. Today, it is the longest-running continuous event on the World Triathlon calendar. Generations of athletes have raced its fast, technical course, many taking their first steps towards international success here, others returning year after year because there is something special about this race that keeps drawing you back. This year, it belonged to Hungary, and after nearly thirty years, that feels fitting. The town that embraced triathlon all those years ago has built a legacy that continues to reward its own athletes while inspiring competitors from around the world.
