Triathlon star Jan Frodeno and Patrick Lange want to push each other to perform well at the Challenge Roth on Sunday (6.30 a.m.).
“It motivates me extremely to compete against him. We have tough competition, so there’s also a bit of a challenge. He definitely pushed me in training,” said Frodeno.
At the beginning of May, the three-time Ironman World Champion was unable to take part in the World Championships in St. George in the US state of Utah. An Achilles tendon injury had stopped the 40-year-old Frodeno. Two-time Ironman World Champion (2017 and 2018) Lange also has a complicated season. The 35-year-old injured his shoulder joint when he fell off his bike. As a result, Lange also had to cancel his start at the Ironman World Championships.
Haug and Lange as defending champions
About the eagerly awaited duel against Frodeno, the native of Hesse said: “The title in Roth has always been hard-fought, it’s going to be a very hot dance. The thing is, I always want to compete against the best in the world, so it’s cool that Jan is also at the start.”
The well-known starting field leads among women Anne Haug, world champion of 2019. Last year she and Lange won the triathlon classic in Roth over 3.86 kilometers of swimming, 180.2 kilometers of cycling and 42.2 kilometers of running. “It’s about doing my best race,” said the 39-year-old.