German outsider stuns world's elite

By Erik Kirschbaum

BEIJING (Reuters) - Jan Frodeno was the long shot in a four-way race to the finish of the Olympic triathlon because he has the unfortunate habit of losing sprints to the line.

On Tuesday, the 27-year-old German timed his kick perfectly and broke away from three of the sport's biggest names to win ahead of Simon Whitfield of Canada, Bevan Docherty of New Zealand and Spain's Javier Gomez.

"I went over all the strategies and possible scenarios in my head 100 if not a thousand times -- and ended up only getting about two hours sleep last night," Frodeno said. "Let's be honest, these guys up front are the big names of the sport.

"I didn't look at the names but instead focused on my race. I knew when Simon caught us it was going to be tough and it would be hard to the finish, that it'd be a real fight. I had lost all my sprints this year so I had mistakes to learn from.

"I'm very impatient and I always went out too early.

"I learned to race conservatively and go at the right moment. I learned a lot about tactics and saving it for the right time rather than using raw energy and blowing it out too soon."

Docherty, who won the silver medal behind compatriot Hamish Carter in Athens four years ago, said it appeared Frodeno had learned from his past experiences.

"I do recall out-sprinting Jan in Korea earlier this year and I do regret that now," bronze medalist Docherty said with a smile. "He's learned from his mistakes well."

Whitfield, who won the inaugural triathlon gold in Sydney in 2000 and had stormed from behind to turn the final 800 meters into a thrilling four-way dash for three medals, also admitted Frodeno's finish had been a surprise.

"As soon as Jan came back to me I knew I was in trouble," Whitfield said. "I wish he hadn't learned so much from his mistakes."

Frodeno said being the outsider worked to his advantage.

"These guys have already been at the top, they're the best triathletes. I had very little pressure going in. I knew I had good form but internationally few people knew who I was.

"Winning the gold was my life's dream. I don't think I've realized what happened. It hasn't sunk in yet."

(Additional reporting by Annika Breidthardt; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)