Four focused years prepare Gwen Jorgensen for Olympic triathlon

RIO DE JANEIRO – Some athletes fall short of their goals at the Olympics and shudder at the thought of training for another four years. Not Gwen Jorgensen, who couldn't wait to start all over again after a flat tire spoiled her race at the 2012 London Games.

The triathlete from St. Paul has racked up plenty of accomplishments since then, including two world championships and a record 17 victories on the World Triathlon Series circuit. What she calls "a very focused four years,'' though, has revolved around one aim: winning an Olympic gold medal in Saturday's triathlon at the Rio Games. Jorgensen, 30, is the favorite in a field of 56 women who will swim 1,500 meters in the ocean off Copacabana Beach, then bike 38.5 kilometers and finish with a 10K run.

Jorgensen has tamed the Rio course before. She won a test event last summer to become one of the first U.S. athletes named to the Olympic team. Her dominance has diminished just a bit this season; she has two victories, a second and a third in World Triathlon Series races this year after going undefeated in 2015.

None of those results matter, she said. The point of those races was to prepare her for Saturday, when she will try to become the first U.S. woman to win the Olympic triathlon.

"I don't think about London negatively,'' said Jorgensen, who was 38th in her first Olympic triathlon in 2012. "It's actually a positive, because it was a turning point in my career. I was disappointed in my result and thought about what I could do to change, to be a better athlete.

"I had four years to get ready and prepare for the Rio Olympics. That's my one goal this year, my one focus.''

Jorgensen tailored her racing schedule this season toward peaking on Saturday. She has competed in fewer races and chosen ones that require less travel. She also delayed her arrival in Rio until last Monday, so she could continue training at her European base in Vitoria, Spain.

Coach Jamie Turner said Jorgensen has become more resilient over the past four years, enabling her to adjust when something unexpected happens — which it often does. Her proficiency on the bike has improved as well.

Jorgensen's 10K speed is the best in the triathlon world. In race after race, she has trailed coming off the bike and used her powerful run to chase down the leaders. The Rio course for the bike leg includes a hill that riders must scale eight times, which will test her stamina.

"That could be a breaking point in the race,'' Jorgensen said. "After that, you start the run, and you're going to have fatigued legs. I think it will be a challenging course for everyone.''

To prepare for the Olympics, Jorgensen has used a virtual-reality tool that allows her to visualize the course. She has good memories of it, too. She likes to swim in the ocean, and Jorgensen did not get sick from the water off Copacabana, which has high levels of contaminants. The roads are in good condition, she said, and they were flanked by large crowds at last year's test event.

Jorgensen cautioned, though, that the unpredictable nature of her sport means the race could play out very differently Saturday. It is the Olympics, after all. While she will try to keep the pressure low, she knows her second Summer Games will not be an ordinary race.

"Every time I race, I have USA on my suit,'' she said. "But there's something extra special at the Olympics, when you know you're representing your country and everyone's tuning in. I've been focused for four years to come here and execute. I'm excited to see what happens.''