Shock for German triathlon fans: Jan Frodeno will not compete at the Ironman in May. The reason is an injury that prevented the exceptional athlete from running for more than an hour.
The three-time Ironman World Champion Jan Frodeno has to give up his participation in the World Championships on May 7th in St. George in the US state of Utah. The exceptional triathlete, who lives in Girona, Spain, announced via Instagram on Thursday that he had torn an Achilles tendon. He couldn’t walk for more than an hour.
“But that’s not enough for a marathon, not even half a marathon,” said the 40-year-old Olympic champion from 2008. “I hope to return soon.”
Also long not at the start
The race in St. George is intended as a replacement for the 2021 World Championships in Hawaii. The classic in Kona with 3.86 kilometers of swimming, 180.2 kilometers of cycling and 42.2 kilometers of running was canceled last year, like in 2020, due to the corona pandemic.
Before Frodeno, the two-time world champion Patrick Lange had already canceled his start in St. George in February due to an injury after falling off his bike. In any case, both want to be back at the 2022 World Cup in October. Then the title fight will take place in Hawaii as usual.
Frodeno’s retirement plan
For Frodeno, the current injury is still a serious blow to the office. Because he shouldn’t get too many chances for the Ironman title – especially since the Spaniard by choice wants to end his career relatively soon.
In an interview with “Playboy” published on Thursday, the 40-year-old said: “My plan was to collect titles for another year or two. After that it’s probably over.”
Meanwhile, the Olympic champion from Beijing assesses his fitness level as very good. “Honestly, I feel almost no difference from before – my training numbers are great. Some have been super stable for years, others even improve with age, so I can’t complain.”