Jan Frodeno

Who is Jan Frodeno?

Jan Frodeno is a German triathlete. He won gold in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Born in Cologne, Frodeno started out as a swimmer in South Africa at the age of 15, and he entered triathlon in 2000. He then went to Germany to compete in the Triathlon-Bundesliga, and qualified for the national team in 2002. He currently trains at the Olympic Training Centre in Saarbrücken. Before his Olympic victory, his best result was placing sixth in the 2007 World Championships, and winning the German Championship the same year. He had previously also placed second and third in various races of the World Cup from 2005 to 2008.

His gold medal win at the 2008 Summer Olympics was a surprise. He beat the 2000 Olympic champion Simon Whitfield in a sprint finish, while the hot pre-race favorite and 2008 World Champion Javier Gómez finished in fourth place. The victory came the day after his twenty-seventh birthday.

Jan Frodeno continued to perform strongly in 2009 and 2010, finishing 4th overall in the World Championship Triathlon Series both years.