Gwen Jorgensen of the United States won the women’s Olympic triathlon in Rio Saturday in 1:56:16. She was 40 seconds ahead of Nicola Spirig Hug of Switzerland. Vicky Holland of Great Britain took bronze in 1:57:01.
Jorgensen, 30, took the lead for good during the 10K run portion of the event. She ran the 10K in 34:09, which is about 5:30 minutes per mile for 6.2 miles. She had the fastest run of any competitors in the triathlon.
The run portion comes last in every triathlon, which includes swimming and biking, so Jorgensen ran at that pace after she had completed a 1.5K swim and a 38.5K bike ride.
Jorgensen was a favorite to medal in 2012, but a flat tire put her out of contention.
"I keep crying for some reason,” she said today after her win. “I'm just really happy after everything we've done after this past four years."
It was the first gold medal in triathlon for the United States. Triathlon has been an Olympic sport since 2000, and only one American triathlete has medaled: Susan Williams won bronze in 2004.
Katie Zaferes finished 18th for the United States on Saturday. Sarah True, who is married to elite runner Ben True, was involved in an accident during the biking portion race, and she did not finish.
Sarah Lorge Butler is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World since 2005. She is the author of two popular fitness books, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
