Jan Frodeno is the only German Olympic triathlon champion to date. The Ironman in Hamburg was to be the 41-year-old's last appearance in front of a German audience.
A motorcyclist collided head-on with a cyclist on the Gauert main dike in the south of Hamburg during the race. The cyclist was seriously injured, but according to initial information, his life is not in danger. The race was not cancelled after the accident, the athletes had to get off their bikes in the second lap before the accident site.