“It was so chaotic”: Frodeno was “right next to it” in the triathlon accident

“It was so messy”
Frodeno was “right next to it” in the triathlon accident

A fatal accident occurs at the Ironman European Championships in Hamburg. The German triathlon legend Jan Frodeno witnessed the bad scene.

The fatal accident at the Ironman European Championships in Hamburg also shocked Jan Frodeno. The three-time world champion was an eyewitness when an escort motorcycle collided head-on with an amateur triathlete on the bike course, killing the motorcycle rider. “Everything else is secondary, third or fifth. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved,” said the German triathlon superstar.

Frodeno only found out about the extent of the accident after he had reached the finish on the Rathausmarkt in fourth place, more than five minutes behind the old and new European champion Denis Chevrot from France. “It was so chaotic. I just heard that the motorcyclist died. I was right next to it and felt like the bike shattered into a thousand pieces,” said Frodeno. “I turned around and saw the motorcyclist on the ground and I thought, that can’t be good.”

Deadly overtaking manoeuvre

The accident happened 2:25 hours after take-off on a straight stretch parallel to a dike in Hamburg’s Ochsenwerder district. The live stream at ironman.com showed the motorcyclist with a photographer on his machine overtaking other motorcycles and then colliding with the athlete.

The organizers only issued a statement hours after the tragedy. “It is with great regret that we have to confirm the death of the motorcyclist due to a serious medical incident,” said the Tampa, Fla.-based organization World Triathlon Corporation (WTC). “Our thoughts and concerns are with the family who we will support as much as we can during this difficult time.”

The WTC owns the Ironman brand. She markets them worldwide. The boss of Ironman Germany, Oliver Schiek, said nothing and referred to the WTC message. Ironman is continuing to work with local authorities to resolve the situation, the statement continued. “The health and well-being of everyone involved in the event is paramount and we will continue to organize the safest possible event together with everyone involved.”

The police said the 70-year-old motorcyclist died at the scene of the accident, and the 26-year-old athlete was seriously injured. The 50-year-old cameraman on the motorcycle suffered a shock and, like the triathlete, was taken to a hospital. “The background to the collision – whether it was medically necessary for the motorcyclist – is purely speculative,” the head of operations had previously told the ARD “Sportschau”. “It’s almost impossible to explain whether there was any evasive behavior because it’s a straight route. Actually an unspectacular route for this area.”

“Just way too close”

Frodeno did not want to criticize directly. “It may be the wrong time to express criticism,” he said – only to become clearer. “From a purely sporting point of view, it wasn’t fair because the motorcycles were just too close,” said Frodeno. “It was a complete farce. And then there was the oncoming traffic.” It was just so incredibly tight, “there are no motorcycles allowed,” he said. “I know it always has to be covered by the media, but athlete safety has to come first somehow.”

After the scene of the accident was cordoned off, there was the absurd scene that the triathletes had to carry their bikes over the dyke. Despite the incident, the race was not abandoned. The decision was made by the World Triathlon Corporation in the USA. The decision was criticized on social media. The planned party after the race was cancelled. The ARD broke off its live broadcast immediately after the interview with the police commander.

In view of the tragedy, Frodeno’s last professional race in Germany faded into the background. The 41-year-old Olympic champion from 2008 had always been in the leading group in swimming and cycling. In the final marathon – including around the Alster – the native of Cologne was in the lead for a long time. Halfway through the marathon, Chevrot passed him. A few kilometers from the finish, he also had to let Belgian Pieter Heermeryck and Denmark’s Kristian Hogenhaug go. For him it was the comeback after a long injury break. Frodeno’s goal is the World Cup in Nice in September. In Hamburg, however, other things were suddenly more important.

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