A Busselton man has become the first West Aussie to be inducted into the Ironman in Australia 'Hall Of Fame' this week for his medical volunteering efforts across the country and overseas.
Create a free account to read this article
or signup to continue reading
Just one person has been inducted into the Hall of Fame each year since it began in 1997, with local Tony Best taking his place among the many as one of only four non-athletes ever included on the list.
Described as an "integral" part of Ironman events since Busselton's inaugural race in 2004, Mr Best is a man known to many for his almost 27 years working as a doctor in the region.
He first got involved with Ironman to help the community and said he never expected an achievement like this to come from it.
I was quite surprised really. I wasn't expecting to be because there has only been about four non-athletes ever inducted
- 2022 Ironman in Australia Hall of Fame inductee Tony Best
"I first started volunteering to help the community as much as anything, so it was quite surprising."
When Mr Best first got involved, he thought he was signing up for a surf-life saving style Ironman event.
Since then, his position as Medical Director for a variety of events has been described by Ironman as "key to the ongoing success of the events and the safety of athletes".
Mr Best said one thing that kept him volunteering with Ironman was his enjoyment for the role and working with the event team.
"I really enjoy doing it," he said.
"And once I started doing it, people kept asking me to do other events and that's how it's kept going."
Despite travelling around the world and volunteering at many different events, Mr Best said nothing beat his role at the Busselton event and working with the local organising committee.
"Being involved with the local people and local athletes, and meeting and talking with them is a great benefit," he said.
Since 2004, Mr Best has volunteered at the Ironman 70.3 Busselton, Port to Pub Swim, and the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon for four consecutive years.
He was also involved in the prestigious Ironman World Championship in 2005 and 2011, as well as Ironman Australia, South Africa, Melbourne, Cairns, and Malaysia events over the years.
Away from Ironman, Mr Best has volunteered as medical officer for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in numerous sports, and was the Australian Team Doctor at the World Triathlon World Championships for three years from 2013.
Mr Best said anyone looking to volunteer with Ironman should get involved.
"Volunteering is very rewarding in itself. If it wasn't for the volunteers, events wouldn't be run," he said.
Our local event is really good for the town and a huge financial benefit to businesses down here
- Ironman in Australia Hall of Fame inductee Tony Best
The Ironman in Australia Hall of Fame honours those who have stamped their individual and unique mark on Ironman Australia.
See the full honour list online at www.ironman.com/im-australia-history.
