ustralia is renowned for claiming stars from other countries as our own if they hang out here long enough - especially if they are any good. Just think movie star Russell Crowe, 1980's band Split Enz and TV host Richard Wilkins (well, we may not all claim him). They are now ‘Aussies’ who receive very little mention of their international heritage. If you also add a romantic link to one of our own sporting champions, then a star living in Australia would become practically nationalised in our eyes overnight. Jan Frodeno, the current Ironman World Champion, is German born, spent his formative sporting years in South Africa, married one of Australia’s most successful and popular triathletes, Olympic Gold Medallist Emma Snowsill, and now spends half his time in Australia. Frodeno being declared an honorary Aussie is ano brainer, We'll claim him, especially if in Kona he should go three wins in a row in 2017. I got to catch up with Jan in my hometown of Noosa. For six months of the year my neighbours are Jan, Emma and their baby boy Lucca. Coffee and a chat is a daily ritual in Noosa, and | do love to do both. Luckily Jan is a fan of an excelent brew too. Sowe sat down over a piccolo and a macchiato and talked about what makes Jan Frodeno one of the most successful and popular athletes our sport has seen in a while. Turns out, he's happy and grateful - not in a cheesy Facebook post kind of way, he simply links hard work and happiness to success. There's not a whole lot to compare between the Medieval architecture of Girona in Spain, and the cafés in Hastings Street Noosa, yet Jan and his family call both places home and its certainly working for them. Whether it's Pyrenean training rides or the run through the Noosa National Park, geography is not as important as community when it comes to the best places to live and train for Frodeno, “It’s not so much the locations themselves as you being happy in a spot and do believe that Ironman is a lot about preparing mentally, about being mentally ina happy place, and that inturn enables me to get the very best out of myself every day. The days when | locked myself up in a training camp situation and knocked out big kilometres every day are done and dusted, These days need that little bit of happiness, that contentment, in between training sessions and the vibe around Girona as well as Noosa is great. Both have a great sporting community and good people, and that makes training all that much easier and | believe that's part of the key to success,” explains Frodeno, Happiness for Jan is wrapped up in Emma and Lucca. “Little king Lucca has been awesome. It’s absolutely great to have a little smile coming back at me when | come back from training. He's just a phenomenal little eneray,’ says Frodeno. And with both parents being Olympic gold medallists, little Lucca may indeed be aking of the sporting world in the future.