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Germany's Frodeno wins men's gold
'I tried not to think that the others behind me were the fastest guys and the most famous triathletes'.
- Reuters
- Published: 23:32 August 19, 2008
Beijing: Germany's Jan Frodeno, who took up triathlon because a girl he fancied did it, won the Olympic gold medal on Monday in a dramatic sprint to the finish.
Close behind him, Sydney gold medallist Simon Whitfield of Canada won the silver in the baking hot Beijing swim-bike-run event, and New Zealand's Bevan Docherty the bronze.
Frodeno, a former swimmer and surf-lifeguard who took up triathlon eight years ago while living in South Africa, battled with Docherty and 2008 world champion Javier Gomez of Spain, both heavily tipped for gold, for front position in the last two laps.
Fitness
But the German, whose nickname is "Frodo", strode ahead at the final bend, overtaking all of them and leaving Gomez in fourth place, a full 20 seconds behind his finish time of one hour, 48 minutes and 53 seconds.
"It was a moment I had dreamed of so many times in my head. During the race I told myself: 'Boy, be greedy - it's champagne or fizzy water'," an overwhelmed Frodeno said afterwards.
"I tried not to think that the others behind me were the fastest guys and the most famous triathletes. he said, adding he had learned his lesson from losing a lot of sprints this year.
The all-round fitness event came down to a running race, as the best sprinters held back and then surged past the winners of the swim and bike sections in the four-lap final section. Frodeno, whose gold medal surprise came a day after his 27th birthday, punched the air triumphantly after breaking through the ribbon at the Ming Tombs reservoir course north of Beijing.
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