Despite the triathlon being invented by U.S.in the late 1970s, the only US athlete to get on the podium in that event until today was Susan Williams at the 2004 Athens Games, Team USA said, when she got the bronze medal.
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Wisconsin’s Gwen Jorgensen gave the United States its first gold medal in the triathlon since it became an Olympic sport in 2000. NBC reports he did not say what the athletes did to alter their credentials, which are needed to access Olympic venues in Rio.
Coming into the Olympics I thought, If this and that happens Im running for a medal, Duffy said.
Gwen Jorgensen crosses the line in the women’s triathlon.
I still have a chance to win three world titles this year, said Duffy, the defending Xterra Series and ITU Cross Triathlon world champion. Showing more emotion than she is known for, she finished in 1:56:16.
Spirig Hug held on to silver while Britain’s Vicky Holland outsprinted teammate Non Stanford to win bronze. Pre-race favorite for a potential swim-bike breakaway Flora Duffy was 11th, True 13th, Zaferes 14th while Jorgensen was 24th, but just 11 seconds down.
“Just seeing how dedicated she is and just all the hard work she puts in”, added Libby Geisness.
“I’ve learned a lot since then, especially how to come back from something like that”.
The 34-year-old Spirig had fought to get to the start on Copacabana Beach after a bike crash in early March. The pack ran into some sizeable breakers on the start, similar to what she would face while training in Santa Cruz.
For the Waukesha girls and boys who now also have Olympic dreams because of Jorgensen, Saturday’s final race couldn’t come soon enough.
Spirig surprised herself by being in the 18-woman lead group after the opening 1500m swim, where she figured she would struggle. Jane said she hopes to send the athlete some messages of encouragement to let her know that people at home are thinking of her.
Little did anyone expect someone to challenge Jorgensen in her best event – the run. She averaged 15th place over the course of eight laps. “And for anyone that’s been around me, they know how much my husband Patrick has invested”.
“It’s pretty insane to be able to show up on the day after four years and accomplish what I’ve said I wanted to accomplish”, Jorgensen said.
But after college, while working as a CPA at Ernst and Young, she got a phone call that changed her life. Zaferes was the second and final American across the line in 18th. Think German Jan Frodeno, who won gold at the Beijing Games and then won the Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, last year. “But I have zero plays for August 21st, so wait and find out”.
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“It was very different from the test event”. Not since Yokohama in 2012 had she lost a race when she was in the lead group coming off the bike. “I think maybe that would have hurt Gwen more”. “Everyone was lot more aggressive”.
