Hometown victory

Jan Frodeno is back in winning form, taking the top spot at Ironman 70.3 Andorra over the weekend, writes Lisa Pringle.

The Olympic medalist and multiple Ironman world champion notched his first win of the season after two fourth places at the PTO European Open and Ironman Hamburg, marking the end of a long road to recovery after injury ended his 2022 season prematurely.

Frodeno was a last-minute entry to his new home race, having based himself in Andorra since last year for training at altitude. Coming off a big block of work and a trip to Nice to preview the course for the Ironman world championship in September, the German did not waste the chance to test his fitness and add another trophy to his countless wins.

He emerged from the 1.9-kilometre swim in Engolasters Lake in second, 45 seconds down from compatriot Jonas Schomburg. Frodeno then closed down the two-minute gap Schomburg had built early in the 90-km cycle course through the Pyrenees with 1,900 metres of elevation. Logging nearly identical bike splits, the two athletes headed onto the half marathon where Frodeno put his running prowess on display and ran into the lead with seven kilometres to go. By the time he took the finish tape in his hands, he had nearly three minutes on the rest of the field.

“It’s been a while between drinks and it was obviously a big test for Nice,” said Frodeno post-race. “But it’s just cool having a nice day and finally feeling right. Nothing hurts and it’s just one step at a time to get back some shape. And man it feels good to hold a finish tape. Big congrats to Jonas.”

This coming weekend Lauren Parker lines up at the World Triathlon Para Series Montreal, seeking to keep a two-year-long winning streak alive.

The Australian has not been off the top spot of a podium since her silver medal finish at the Tokyo Paralympics, and hasn’t finished off a podium since 2019.