Africa Triathlon

The World Championship Grand Final in Budapest was one of the most remarkable events for me this year. Unfortunately, not only because it was the biggest triathlon championship in my beautiful hometown but because I had to work—together with the athletes, of course—in the worst weather conditions imaginable. The rain and the unusual cold temperature in September is reflected in this particular picture too: the man has to defeat the other athletes and to overcome the rain and the water on the field.

The contrast between the old and the new, a dynamic colourful young sport set amongst a stage steeped in the history and culture that is Budapest. There are so few sports in this world that have the luxury to choose such beautiful sporting arenas in which to compete in. My job as a photographer is to capture that opportunity and document where the sport has been.

My favourite shot is the German teammates supporting Jan Frodeno after losing the World Championship title in the final race. It shows the tragedy of a whole season, and it shows how sport can be.  The picture was shot with a Canon EOS 40D, the only camera that survived the heavy rain the same morning when I shot the Age-Group athletes. I met some other photographers in the restroom of the race hotel using the electric hand dryer to bring some of their equipment back to life.