Richard Murray

Richard Murray has become an icon of short course triathlon thanks to more than a decade of gutsy displays on the world stage and an engaging character that has made him both a popular and, at times, controversial figure. Richard was born in South Africa and grew up on a grain farm near Durbanville. His father, Neville, was a track athlete, while his mother was close to becoming a professional netball player. He developed a love for the outdoors and sport from his family, and their idyllic setting allowed Richard to spread his wings as a mountain biker and run on gravel roads.

›

He quickly found success in multisport, taking the Junior ITU Duathlon World Championship titles in 2007 and 2008, prompting Richard to turn pro. He also sought to emulate his success by adding a swim into the equation. He secured the Under-23 African crowns for both triathlon and duathlon in 2010. He was an elite African champion in triathlon in 2011 and 2012, the latter year being a major breakthrough for Richard as he also took his first ITU win in Hamburg. That was the spark for a long and successful professional career in triathlon, where he has regularly been in the top five ranked athletes in the World Series and become a frequent visitor to the podium.

Richard collected two medals at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, having placed 17th at the London Olympics in 2012, and won the WTS Grand Final in Chicago in 2015. He hit the headlines in 2016 when he was controversially disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct after a WTS race in Hamburg as he fought a strong battle back from injury in a bid to make the Rio Olympics in 2016. Having broken his collarbone in a bike crash at the WTS Gold Coast, he could barely move his shoulder. However, Richard showed the grit and determination he has become famous for and fought back.

Not only did he make it to the start line in Rio, but remarkably he finished fourth, having won the World Duathlon Championships and the Island House Triathlon in the build-up.

Richard proved his short course pedigree as he was the first-ever Super League Triathlon winner, dominating a stacked field for the test event in Hamilton Island to claim the monster $100,000 cheque.

His career has continued to go from strength to strength. Noted for his aggressive biking and exceptional handling skills, and a killer run, Richard’s only weakness has been found on the swim. That hasn’t stopped him from claiming excellent results, including a fourth-place finish in the 2018 WTS standings and a win in Leeds.

Richard faced a major challenge in his career when he had to undergo heart surgery for a cardiac ablation. Despite that, he would have been fit enough to line-up for South Africa in the mixed team relay at the Tokyo Olympics just six weeks later had a teammate injury not ruled the team out of contention.

He is now working his way back to full fitness, and in the meantime has switched his allegiance to the Netherlands.

Richard is married to fellow triathlete Rachel Klamer, and the couple split their time between South Africa and the Netherlands.