We all know about Jan Frodeno the triathlon great, but what about Jan Frodeno the motivational speaker?
The 42-year-old German spent the summer preparing for the final major race of a glittering career, the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice. But he also found time to help a very famous football club get very much back on track.
Liverpool FC coach Jurgen Klopp has described his 2023-24 project as ‘Liverpool reloaded’ after retooling his squad with a string of new signings, and according to The Athletic, Frodeno absolutely played a part in getting that project off to a flying start.
Jan Frodeno and ‘Liverpool reloaded’
Reporter James Pearce has revealed that Klopp invited Frodeno to speak to his players in mid-July in the Black Forest town of Donaueschingen, during their summer training camp.
He wrote: “Jurgen Klopp’s players sat listening intently to the special guest who had arrived at their training camp to address them.
“Born in Germany but raised in South Africa, Jan Frodeno is one of the greatest triathletes of all time. He took Olympic gold in Beijing in 2008 and is a three-time winner of the Ironman World Championship, which comprises a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run.
“Frodeno had been invited to speak to the squad about his medal-laden career and the devotion required to stay at the top for so long. He talked about pushing your body to its limits and the mental resilience required to keep going when fatigue kicks in.”
Klopp looks outside the bubble
Per Pearce, Klopp likes to bring in minds from outside of football to give his players a fresh perspective and fresh knowledge. Before the team embarked on their Premier League title-winning campaign in 2019-2020, he turned to surfer Sebastian Steudtner.
Pearce says Frodeno’s input and expertise were appreciated by the Liverpool players, and so far Klopp’s masterplan appears to be coming together nicely.
The Reds have so far won five and drawn one of their Premier League games in 2023-2024, and they sit in second place in the standings, two points behind reigning champions Manchester City.
