Gwen Rosemary Jorgensen (born April 25, 1986, in
Waukesha, Wisconsin
Waukesha ( ) is the county seat of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. Its population was 71,158 at the 2020 census. The city is adjacent to the Village of Waukesha.
History
The area tha ...
) is an American distance runner and former professional
triathlete
A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of swimming, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the time transitioning between the d ...
. She is the
2014 and
2015 ITU World Triathlon Series Champion. She has been named
USA Triathlon
USA Triathlon (USAT) is the national governing body for the multisport disciplines of triathlon, duathlon, aquathlon and winter triathlon in the United States. USA Triathlon is a member federation of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee an ...
's 2013 and 2014 Olympic/ITU Female Athlete of the Year. She was a member of the
2012 Olympic Team and again represented the United States in
triathlon at the 2016 Summer Olympics
The triathlon competitions at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro took place from 18 to 20 August 2016 at Fort Copacabana. Fifty-five athletes competed in each of the men's and women's events.
Format
The Olympic triathlon contained ...
, where she won the USA's first ever triathlon gold medal with a time of 1 hour, 56 minutes, and 16 seconds.
Career
Jorgensen attended the
University of Wisconsin-Madison
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
, where she swam and ran for the
Badgers
Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by the ...
. She earned a master's degree in accounting, passed the
CPA exam, and worked for
Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young Global Limited, trade name EY, is a multinational professional services partnership headquartered in London, England. EY is one of the largest professional services networks in the world. Along with Deloitte, KPMG and Pricewaterh ...
in Milwaukee as a tax accountant. Soon after graduating and beginning her new job,
USA Triathlon
USA Triathlon (USAT) is the national governing body for the multisport disciplines of triathlon, duathlon, aquathlon and winter triathlon in the United States. USA Triathlon is a member federation of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee an ...
, who was pursuing former college swimmers and runners, encouraged Jorgensen to enter the sport of triathlon. In 2010, she was selected as USA Triathlon's Rookie of the year following her silver medal at the World University Triathlon Championships in Spain.
At the
2011 World Championship Series in London, Jorgensen placed 2nd which earned her a spot on the
2012 US Olympic triathlon team. In the London Olympics she suffered a flat tire on the bike portion of the race and would finish in 38th place.
In
2014, Jorgensen placed first in four consecutive World Triathlon Series races, something no other female had done in the history of the series.
Her winning streak extended through 2015, with a total of 13 consecutive series wins by the end of the year. Her astonishing streak was finally ended in 2016 by
Helen Jenkins
Helen Rebecca Jenkins, ''née'' Tucker (born 8 March 1984) is Two-time Triathlon World Champion (2008 & 2011) Helen Jenkins is one of Britain’s most celebrated triathletes having represented Team GB at the Olympic Games (2008, 2012 & 201 ...
in
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
, Australia. By coincidence, Jenkins had been the last competitor to have beaten her before her streak, in
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
in 2014. In 2015, she joined
ECS Triathlon
Espérance cycliste Sartrouville Triathlon or ECS Triathlon is a French sports club based in the suburbs of Paris, commune of Sartrouville. The club's specialization is triathlon for elite level athletes, especially Olympians. Team members have ...
, an elite club, based in Sartrouville, France.
At the 2016 Summer Olympics, Jorgensen won gold in
triathlon
A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of Swimming (sport), swimming, Cycle sport, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the t ...
. After winning the gold medal in Rio, Gwen entered the
New York City Marathon
The New York City Marathon (currently branded TCS New York City Marathon after its headline sponsor) is an annual marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 53,627 finishe ...
and placed 14th with a time of 2:41:01.
Jorgensen announced via Twitter on January 19, 2017, that she and her husband were expecting a child. She gave birth to a boy, Stanley, on August 16, 2017 - almost two weeks after his due date.
In November 2017, Jorgensen announced that she was retiring from triathlon, and focusing on the marathon, with the goal of winning an Olympic gold in the
discipline
Discipline refers to rule following behavior, to regulate, order, control and authority. It may also refer to punishment. Discipline is used to create habits, routines, and automatic mechanisms such as blind obedience. It may be inflicted on ot ...
at
Tokyo 2020
The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July.
Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...
. However, after suffering injuries and undergoing heel surgery during her marathon build-up, Jorgensen announced on December 4, 2019, that she will focus on qualifying in track, in either the 5,000m or 10,000m.
In October 2019, Jorgensen's mother and sister published ''Go, Gwen, Go: A Family’s Journey to Olympic Gold''. In the book, they document Jorgensen's rise from a Milwaukee CPA to 2016 Olympic Champion and describe the family's experience raising an Olympian.
ITU competitions
Jorgensen's ITU race results are:
References
External links
Official websiteUSA Triathlon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jorgensen, Gwen
1986 births
Living people
American female triathletes
Sportspeople from Milwaukee
Track and field athletes from Milwaukee
Sportspeople from Waukesha, Wisconsin
Triathletes at the 2011 Pan American Games
Wisconsin Badgers women's swimmers
Triathletes at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Triathletes at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Olympic triathletes of the United States
American accountants
Women accountants
Ernst & Young people
Olympic gold medalists for the United States in triathlon
Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Pan American Games competitors for the United States
20th-century American women
21st-century American women