Jan Frodeno: The Ironman.

Born in Cologne, Germany, Jan Frodeno has long been regarded as one of the very best triathletes in the world. Initially he competed at the shorter Olympic distance but three years ago also started to take on the longer IRONMAN distance. His career has developed over the years: In 2004 he was vice-European champion in the U23 category as a newcomer. Before long he had already won Olympic gold at the 2008 Games in Beijing. With his goals achieved over the shorter Olympic distance, Frodeno dared to make the leap to the longer distance endurance triathlons in 2014. Success was not far off. In 2015 he became IRONMAN European Champion in Frankfurt and won the IRONMAN World Championship title in Hawaii. He is the first triathlete in the world to win both a gold medal in the Olympic triathlon and the IRONMAN World Championship title.

His passion for the sport emerged in Cape Town/South Africa where he emigrated with his parents at the age of nine. There he spent his leisure time surfing, swimming, cycling and running. At 19 he completed his first triathlon and returned to Germany a few years later as a professional. For the Mercedes-Benz ambassador and 2015 German Sportsman of the Year, it is essential to be physically and, above all, mentally fit. That is the only way he can control, and ultimately successfully overcome, the typical symptoms of competing that tire any triathlete.