In Rio, she gave her all on the hilly 40km bike course and defeated Spirig-Hug in the final discipline to win America’s first gold in the sport since it was introduced to the Games in 2000.
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Switzerland’s Nicola Spirig, gold-medal victor in the 2012 London Olympics. took silver this time while Britain’s Vicky Holland took the bronze.
Gwen Jorgensen (1:56:16) fended off reigning Olympic champion Nicola Spirig of Switzerland (1:56:56) for first place in the women’s triathlon.
Rabi returned to the Olympics after an eight-year absence, during which she recovered from a life-threatening heart condition just two years ago.
Nicola Spirig of Switzerland, the gold medalist in London in 2012 and the first female triathlete to claim multiple Olympic medals, said she suggested to Jorgensen and bronze medalist Vicky Holland of Britain that they do something different. He added, however, that in time he can see Jorgensen’s path suiting Zaferes, who earned her first WTS victory last month in Hamburg, Germany.
Picked up in US Triathlon’s collegiate recruitment program, Jorgensen’s ill-luck in London didn’t put her off, and instead she has gone on an incredible 13-race winning streak.
The leading pair took a 20-second lead into the fourth and last of the 2.5km laps but with 2km left, Jorgensen made her move, and her elegant long-striding performance swiftly left the spirited 34-year-old Swiss trailing. She won the gold medal in her usual fashion: by dusting the field with her devastating run.
“She’s really deserving of the gold”, Spirig said.
As the two ran literally side by side during the 10k (6.2-mile) run, it became clear they would battle it out unchallenged for the gold.
“I tried everything on the run”, she said. “I had to try everything to get her out of the rhythm a bit”.
“We have always said that the advantage we have going into races is that we know each other so well”, said Holland.
In a dramatic duel between Great Britain teammates, friends and roommates, Vicky Holland took the bronze over 2013 ITU World Champion Non Stanford by 3 seconds. I said, “Come on, Gwen”, but she said, “I was leading before”, and I said, ‘I already have a medal, so it’s basically you that has to work.’ It was just mental games. I’m disappointed in myself. When she crossed the finish line in 38th place in London, almost seven minutes after Spirig, she immediately thought about winning gold in Rio. “Gwen motivated herself and focused on this day, and I think Katie can do the same thing four years from now”.
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“I think it will raise awareness and create momentum for a sport with a very strong and avid group of fans and participants”, sports marketing expert David Abrutyn of Bruin Sports Capital said. Zaferes had to wait until May to find out if she had made the team.
