Gwen Jorgensen announces her next goal
The Rio gold medallist will spend the next four years working towards winning a gold medal in the Olympic marathon
Gwen Jorgensen, ITU sensation and gold medallist at the 2016 Rio Olympics, announced her next career goal on Twitter this morning. After recently giving birth to her first child, Jorgensen took the 2017 season off. She has revealed that in her comeback to sport, she’ll be going after gold in the Olympic marathon:
https://twitter.com/gwenjorgensen/status/927929085539491840
One year ago, Jorgensen, a former collegiate runner, made her marathon debut at the New York City Marathon where she clocked 2:41:01. She has been outspoken about her love for running, calling it her “favourite of the three” (swim, bike and run) and is arguably the fastest runner in short course triathlon.
In a press release from USA Triathlon, Jorgensen acknowledged this move as her official transition from elite triathlon to elite distance running.
“Gwen will be forever remembered crossing the finish line in Rio to claim the gold medal at the 2016 Olympics, a true watershed moment in the history of USA Triathlon,” said Barry Siff, President of the USA Triathlon Board of Directors. “But she has also personified the ultimate role model for all athletes by continually giving back to the sport through efforts like the Gwen Jorgensen Scholarship. On behalf of every triathlete in the U.S., I wish Gwen – as well as her husband Patrick, and their new son Stanley – great joy, success and happiness in every possible way.”
“USA Triathlon brought me into this sport, and now I’m incredibly privileged to step away at the top, with an Olympic gold medal. Though my near-future training will be focused on winning gold in the marathon in Tokyo, I will always be a part of the USA Triathlon family and look forward to embracing every opportunity to help grow the sport of triathlon. In fact, I hope this new adventure in running will play a big part in doing exactly that,” Jorgensen said.
