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Snowsill heads to Kona after sport honour

3 minute read

The day after her induction into the Sport Australia Hall Of Fame, triathlete Emma Snowsill flew out to watch husband Jan Frodeno race in the Hawaiian Ironman

JAN FRODENO of Germany celebrates after winning the Mainova IRONMAN European Championship in Frankfurt am Main,Germany.
JAN FRODENO of Germany celebrates after winning the Mainova IRONMAN European Championship in Frankfurt am Main,Germany. Picture: Joern Pollex/Getty Images for IRONMAN

The day after her outstanding triathlon career was honoured, Emma Snowsill was flying to Hawaii to see if her husband can add to his.

The Australian is married to German Jan Frodeno, one of the favourites on Sunday's (AEST) the Hawaiian Ironman triathlon world championships.

Frodeno won the event in 2015-16, but back problems scuttled his hopes in 2017 and he also had to pull out last year's race because of injury.

But the 2008 Olympic gold medallist - the only triathlete to win a Games gold medal and a Hawaii title - has returned to form this season and again is one of the men to beat in Kona.

"He's the most relaxed, least-stressed - he's very calm, very cool, very collected," Snowsill said of Frodeno.

"He's very happy.

"We've all been through those times with injury. You go over that edge and sometimes that's what makes you as good as you are.

"You push and you push."

Snowsill also won the women's triathlon at the 2008 Olympics and they met through the sport.

On Thursday night, Australia's only Olympic triathlon gold medallist was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall Of Fame.

"This is not ideal, I would have loved to have had him here," Snowsill said.

"He's the one who said 'No, this is really big deal and you haven't been the best at celebrating your success'."

But there was no way Snowsill was going to miss her husband's tilt at a third title, she is flying to Hawaii on Friday.

"The time zones are on my side," she said.

"We make a very good team and I love being part of it."

Snowsill is the fourth triathlete to be inducted into the Hall of Fame and she revelled in the honour.

Her retirement in 2014 was bitter-sweet, coming two years after Snowsill was a controversial exclusion from the Olympic team for London.

She had also struggled with health issues before leaving competition.

"I don't think closure is even the right word - but for me, when you're in the thick of sport and if you're fortunate enough to receive awards, you don't really absorb them and take them on," Snowsill said

"You're so in the mode of competing and it's somewhat a second thing, it doesn't feel the same as breaking a tape.

"But probably something that Jan has really helped me with is to appreciate and really celebrate success.

"It is very special and it's always been something where I feel like I've come from a very strong (triathlon) heritage in Australia."

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