To Stellenbosch ´till March......

Emma Snowsill to move to South Africa

  |  October 29th, 2010

Germany's Olympic gold medallist Jan Frodeno and the Gold Coast's triple world triathlon champion, Emma Snowsill

MEET the Teutonic triathlete who has helped spark triple world champion Emma Snowsill's move from the Gold Coast to South Africa.

Snowsill's new love, 194cm Jan 'Frodo' Frodeno, and the tiny 29-year-old Gold Coaster are heading for a summer of training at Frodeno's base in Stellenbosch, a small town near Cape Town used by European triathletes as a training base in a bid to 'keep it fresh'.

But while her boyfriend is German, and she will be trained by the German national team coach Roland Knoll, Snowsill says there is no suggestion she will shift alliances and remains a proud 'dinky di' Aussie.

Like Snowsill, Frodeno is also a triple title-holder -- the Olympic and three-time world champion, was once referred to as triathlon's Lord of the Rings for his Olympic achievement.

In another parallel to Snowsill, he also took gold in the 2008 Olympics at Beijing.

He began his sporting career at 15 in the pool, before moving to triathlons two years later.

Frodeno's passion for the beach lifestyle is likely to have been a drawcard for Snowsill.

While the 29-year-old was born in Cologne, spending his teenage years as a swimmer in South Africa meant he soon adopted surfing and beach volleyball as his hobbies.

However, Snowsill maintains that despite leaving her homeland with her new beau, she remains fiercely Australian and will continue to race in the green and gold as she chases a fourth and fifth world crown in 2011 and 2012 and a place in history as the only triathlete to defend an Olympic gold.

"I'll be in the green and gold in London if I make it," said Snowsill yesterday at a family reunion in Noosa although she is not in Sunday's triathlon.

"It's all about keeping things fresh at this stage of my career. It's a great venue, has great weather, my coach has new ideas. It's something different which I think will be good for me.

"The Australian federation understands this is such an international sport now and the athletes need an environment where they can be happy. They've been really great."

Snowsill was in the past coached by former fiancee Craig Walton, who is making his return to racing in Noosa.

The first Australian to win an Olympic triathlon crown, Snowsill will return to Australia in March for the Mooloolaba World Cup and the opening leg of the world championship series in Sydney in April.

She will then base herself in Europe, close to the race which could see her achieve her next goal of winning a fourth world crown.

"I'd love to win another one but London is the big goal," said Snowsill, who confirmed she is clear of the injury and illness which benched her for over a year in the wake of her historic gold medal in China.