Jan Frodeno (GER) today revealed his hotly anticipated 2023 IRONMAN triathlon race calendar. Taking to Instagram, Frodeno announced he will be racing at the Athletic Brewing IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside in April, followed by IRONMAN European Championship Hamburg in June, gearing up to an attempt to secure his fourth IRONMAN World Championship title in Nice, France in September.
The three-time IRONMAN World Champion (2015; 2016; 2019), two-time IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion (2015; 2018) and Olympic Games gold medallist (2008) will be eager to kick off his 2023 racing season after sustaining an injury in August last year, which saw him sit out of the 2022 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship event in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. With 2023 possibly being his last year in the sport at a competitive level, he will no doubt be looking to conclude by winning both the IRONMAN European Championship and the IRONMAN World Championship one last time.
Frodeno commented: "IRONMAN Hamburg, wow, what a journey it has been for me personally in Hamburg, obviously having lots and lots of positive memories, and tough memories actually too. Racing in Hamburg, the race there is where I qualified for the Olympics, where we had a team world championship. And now the full IRONMAN distance, I am really looking forward to going back there. It is one of my favourite cities in the world, and I am looking forward to coming to the city that lives and breathes triathlon, and seeing what the IRONMAN experience is all about. I hope to see you there and enjoy what will surely be a spectacle of IRONMAN racing."
After Laura Philipps’ (GER) impressive win at last year’s IRONMAN European Championship Hamburg, where she also secured an IRONMAN world best time of 8:18:20, all eyes will be on the professional men to see what they can do on this fast and flat PB friendly course in his home nation.
Frodeno’s presence at IRONMAN European Championship Hamburg will bring out some talented athletes who will be looking for an opportunity to make a statement win and gain some confidence going into this year’s VinFast IRONMAN World Championship. Although this will be the first time the professional men have battled it out in Hamburg for the title of IRONMAN European Champion, Frodeno is no stranger to the title having won the Mainova IRONMAN European Championship Frankfurt event three times (2015; 2018; 2019).
This year, the professional women and age groupers will go head-to-head for the European Champion bragging rights at Mainova IRONMAN European Championship Frankfurt on July 2 2023.
Frodeno also confirmed months of speculation that he will be racing in the VinFast IRONMAN World Championship in Nice, France. This will be the first time since the inception of the IRONMAN World Championship that the event will be taking place in Europe following the announcement earlier this year that Nice, France will become the dual host of the 2023 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship.
On his Instagram video, Frodeno comments:
“I can’t wait to go there. It’s certainly a big, big challenge for me but living here in the mountains its kind of given me the one hope of preparing well for that race. 2400 metres of climbing is exciting and a big challenge for me and I cannot wait to see what these young guns bring to the table.”
For more information on IRONMAN and the series of events and to register for open events, visit www.ironman.com.