The Sports Centre at Chelsea Piers provides a welcome haven in a crowded metropolis, with features including a six-lane, 25-yard indoor swimming pool, a quarter-mile indoor running track, a 200m banked competition track and a private cycle studio.

The facility is adjacent to the Manhattan Waterfront Gateway, a 32-mile running, cycling and walking trail.

The Sports Centre achieved its certification by reaching a number of standards set out by USA Triathlon.

USA Triathlon (USAT) Certified Training Centers provide facilities for USA Triathlon members, certified coaches and athletes, and must offer access to at least two USAT-certified coaches, USAT Vo2 and Lactate testing protocols, bike fitting and 20 per cent off services for USAT members and coaches.

The Sports Centre has long been known as a premier training facility for triathlon in New York City.

General manager Greta Wagner said: "In a crowded city with limited open space, it is impossible to find all of the triathlon-specific offerings and facilities we have here under one roof.

We are in a unique position to service the triathlon community better than any facility in New York City."

Angie Murphy, USA Triathlon coaching specialty manager, said: "We are very happy to have certified the Sports Centre at Chelsea Piers as the first USA Triathlon Certified Training Center in the Northeast Region and only the fifth in the USA.

This facility will offer numerous athletes and coaches, both locally and in the region, the opportunity to utilise top-of-the-line training equipment, testing sites, access to USAT-certified coaches and a unique training environment."