Hunter Kemper: Professional Triathlete, 2008, 2004, & 2000 Olympian,

                        2005 USOC Sportsman of the Year


2008 was a year marked with PERSEVERANCE for Hunter.  He began his season struggling with a sport’s hernia.  After finishing a disappointing third place at the Olympic Trials in April, he had thoughts of packing it in and getting surgery.  He regrouped and pressed on to race in the final Olympic Trials at the Hy-Vee Triathlon in Des Moines, IA.  Racing with heart and perseverance, Hunter was able to capture the final US Olympic slot finishing as the top American and sixth place overall.  Hunter enjoyed the moment as he competed in his third Olympic Games in Beijing, finishing seventh overall and once again the top American.  In the fall, Hunter was honored as he was inducted into the class of 2008 Wake Forest Sport’s Hall of Fame.  

In 2007, Hunter's name was added to another elite list of legendary athletes as he was featured on the Wheaties box for his personal and professional accomplishments. Hunter is the first triathlete to appear on the box. The 2007 racing season was very challenging for Hunter because it was the first time he has struggled with injury. Throughout the season he fought with lower back pain and SI Joint dysfunction. Despite his injury he was still able to capture the Haul to the Great Wall Series by winning the Great Colorado Triathlon in August and finished the season with a win at the Treasure Island Triathlon in San Francisco.

2006 was a successful year for Hunter as his goal was to focus more on the "big" races of the season. He accomplished this goal by winning the $200,000 grand prize at the Lifetime Fitness "Battle of the Sexes" Triathlon in July. After finishing the 2005 racing season ranked #1 in the world, Hunter climbed his way back up to the #1 position for a majority of the 2006 season finishing on the podium in 3 out of his first 4 World Cups. At the Long Beach Triathlon in June, Hunter won his 6th Pro National Championship Title.

2005 was a memorable year for Hunter as he was awarded with many high accolades. Hunter was the first U.S. male to finish the season No. 1 in both the world and the ITU World Cup rankings. He secured the No. 1 world ranking with a fourth place finish at the New Plymouth World Cup in New Zealand in November, 2005. Along the way he reached the podium in 10 out of 13 international races, including five first-place finishes, and five out of seven times in World Cup races. In June, Hunter successfully escaped by winning his first attempt at the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon in San Francisco, California. He also won the U.S. Elite National Championship. In September, he won in a sprint finish at the Beijing World Cup on the 2008 Olympic course. The highest honor he received was when the United States Olympic Committee named him 2005 Male Sportsman of the Year. Hunter’s name followed Michael Phelps, Lance Armstrong and Michael Johnson who were previous winners of this award. The United States Sport’s Academy also recognized Hunter’s achievements by presenting him with the prestigious Jim Thorpe All-Around Award.

Hunter finished 9th in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. He had the fastest run split and was the top American. He qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team at the ITU Honolulu Triathlon in April of 2004. He was 3 for 3 - the top American at all 3 Olympic qualifying races.

In 2003 Hunter was the first American to win a gold medal at the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. In September of 2003, Hunter won his first ITU World Cup in Madrid, Spain. This victory proved that Hunter had emerged as one of the top competitors on the international circuit.

In 2000, the sport of triathlon made its first appearance in the Olympics. Hunter qualified for the Sydney Games by winning the USA Olympic Trials race in Dallas, Texas. Leading up to the Olympics, Hunter appeared on a both a VISA and Chevy commercial. Hunter was the top U.S. male finisher in the Olympics, placing 17th overall. At the end of the season, Hunter was honored with the USOC Triathlete of the Year Award.

During the summer of 1999, Hunter won the silver medal at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada. He also successfully defended his 1998 Pro National Championship Title. At the end of his 1999 season, Hunter finished eighth at the ITU World Championships in Montreal, Canada; the highest finish by any U.S. male since 1992. He capped off the year by receiving his first USOC Triathlete of the Year award.

The Early Years

In the summer of 1986, Hunter was asked by a friend to enter a youth triathlon. Hunter won his age group in his first attempt. This win qualified him for the IronKids National Championship. A month later, Hunter was the IronKids National Champion for 10-year-olds and under in only his second race.

From that start in 1986, Hunter went on to win four IronKids National Age Group Championships and two IronKids National Senior Championships (14 years and under). In his first five years of racing, Hunter never lost a youth triathlon.

As a student at Lake Brantley High School, Hunter earned twelve varsity letters by participating in cross-country, swimming, and track and field. He gives a great deal of credit for his success to his high school swim coach, Clay Parnell, and his high school track coach, Charlie Harris. Entering Wake Forest University in the fall of 1994, Hunter was a member of the cross country and track teams. He was All-Academic Atlantic Coast Conference for four years and All-ACC his senior year, as a result of finishing second in the 10,000 meters at the ACC Track and Field Championships. Between his junior and senior year at Wake Forest, Hunter won the Amateur National Triathlon Championship in Columbia, Maryland.

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