The Jorgensen Juggernaut Continues in Chicago

American Gwen Jorgensen made it 12 World Triathlon Series wins in a row with an impressive victory and her second straight World Championship title in front of a hometown crowd in Chicago today.

With files from Triathlon Canada, photos by Kevin Mackinnon

Jorgensen raced with Great Britain’s Non Stanford and Vicky Holland until the final lap of the run when she turned on the jets and bolted to the top of the podium. Stanford hung on for the silver medal with a time of 1:56:05. Holland claimed the bronze at 1:56:20, which netted the British athletes a spot on the start line in Rio next summer.

With all three Canadian women either nursing or recovering from injuries heading into the elite Grand Final race Friday afternoon, it turned out to be a difficult day for the red and white.

Competing in her first race since suffering a stress fracture to her femur, Amelie Kretz, of Blainville, Que., had a solid 1.5-kilometre swim and 40-kilometre bike where she was solidly placed in the lead pack of 25 athletes. But her race fitness wasn’t there when the fastest triathlon women in the world charged out for the 10-kilometre run. Kretz finished 54th at 2:04:19.

Victoria’s Kirsten Sweetland and Quebec City’s Sarah-Anne Brault both pulled out of the race early in the bike.