Triathlete Frodeno loses the fight against his pain. As a spectator in Roth, the veteran sees compatriot Lange running in second place when a Dane wins – and Anne Haug wins.
Triathlon star Jan Frodeno buried his pained face in his hands and then looked at his Achilles tendon, which forced him to give up the long-distance classic in Roth.
Instead of an acclaimed comeback after a month-long injury break, the three-time Ironman world champion experienced the next setback when Magnus Ditlev from Denmark won on Sunday. Almost apologetically, Frodeno waved him off after retiring from the final marathon as the leader. Then he fell into the arms of his team.
Anne Haug defies a bee in her helmet
From the edge of the track, Frodeno saw local hero Anne Haug defend her title after 3.86 kilometers of swimming, 180.2 kilometers of cycling and 42.2 kilometers of running. The woman from Bayreuth was more than seven minutes behind the leading Brit Fenella Langridge after swimming and a mishap in which she grabbed the wrong exchange bag. On the bike course, the 39-year-old then fought a bee in her helmet and was even stung. A motorcyclist then poured cold water over her helmet.
“It’s an Ironman. Things always happen that cannot be planned, »Haug commented on the adversities. “You always have to believe that you can make it to the finish line. It was really, really hard.”
Strong German overall result
Last year’s winner Patrick Lange completed the strong German overall result in second place, a good nine minutes behind. “World-class performance from Magnus,” said Lange about the winner, who had already enjoyed his wheat beer shower. “I fought every minute. The shoulder hurts like hell, »reported the 35-year-old Hesse, who underwent shoulder surgery after a fall at the beginning of the year.
Over two thirds of the competition everything looked like a comeback victory for Frodeno, who wanted to push himself to peak performance. Driven by tens of thousands of spectators on the banks of the Main-Danube Canal, the 40-year-old was the first to get out of the water. Despite a breakdown after cycling, where Frodeno couldn’t find his bag of running shoes, the veteran also led before the marathon. But then the pain got too much.
The veteran described his task as a “reasonable decision”. “Today was the day the pain started on the bike and increased when running. Bitter, because I actually had a really good day, »said the Cologne native on BR.
After the triathlon version, which was modified due to the corona, with only half the participants, the race in the long-distance stronghold again took place without restrictions. The legendary hot spot on the Solarer Berg, in which the fans crowded together to form a narrow alley and the drivers whipped up the mountain with loud shouts and La Ola waves, celebrated its comeback. “I thought the eardrum was about to burst,” Frodeno described the atmosphere.
The focus of the triathletes is now on the World Championships in Hawaii in October. Frodeno also wants to attack there. “I’m in the fall of my career, but not in the winter,” said the 2008 Olympic champion.
