Jorgensen Wins Chicago!
Jorgensen Makes History with Sixth WTS Win in Chicago
American becomes first woman in World Triathlon Series history to win six titles
Jorgensen (St. Paul, Minn.) grabbed the tape in 1 hour, 55 minutes, 33 seconds on the 1,500-meter swim, 38.1-kilometer bike, 10-kilometer run course in front of a home crowd. Great Britain’s Helen Jenkins was second in 1:55:53, and Juri Ide of Japan was third in 1:56:00 to round out the podium in the inaugural ITU World Triathlon Chicago.
With the win, Jorgensen surpasses 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Emma Moffatt of Australia and Canadian Paula Findlay to become the winningest woman in the history of the ITU World Triathlon Series. This is her third title of 2014, having picked up wins in Yokohama, Japan, and London in May.
“[The record is] not something I focus on. I just wanted to come out here and do the best that I could,” Jorgensen said. “Looking back on this race I’m still going to have to work on my swim and my bike, but I’m thrilled to race on home soil and the crowd really encouraged me throughout it.
“During the race, when I came through the grandstand area on the lap, the crowd was incredible,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been affected by cheers that loud. They gave me chills throughout my entire body.”
Jorgensen also made history in April 2013 when she topped the podium for the first time at the 2013 Omegawave World Triathlon San Diego, becoming the first American woman to earn a series win.
Jorgensen also claimed her second consecutive USA Triathlon Elite National Championships title as part of the event.
Fellow Americans Kaitlin Donner (Satellite Beach, Fla.), who was 17th overall, and Lindsey Jerdonek (Sagamore Hills, Ohio), who finished 21st for her best World Triathlon Series finish, earned second and third place, respectively, on the USA Triathlon Elite National Championships podium.
Spain’s Carolina Routier led the way for the women out of the water, heading into the first transition with a 13-second gap on the field. Jorgensen was 30 seconds back, but was able to connect with the chase pack early on in the eight-lap bike course, though she trailed behind a group of 12, including Jenkins, Ide, Jerdonek and Canadian Kirsten Sweetland.
Though the front pack extended their lead heading into the second transition, the 67-second gap was not enough to keep Jorgensen out of the lead for long. Throughout the four-lap 10k run, Jorgensen was able to make up time lost by running a 34:14 — the fastest run of the day by 1:24 — to overtake Jenkins on the final lap.
With World Triathlon Series races still on the schedule in Hamburg, Stockholm and Edmonton, Jorgensen remains the top-ranked female triathlete in the Threadneedle ITU World Triathlon Series standings with 3,424 points. Jenkins moved into second with 2,666 points while Great Britain’s Jodie Stimpson, who did not race in Chicago, fell to third with 2,396 points. Sarah Groff (Hanover, N.H.), who also was unable to race in Chicago, currently sits in fourth with 1,959 points.
The elite women’s race was one of six events on the schedule in Chicago this weekend. The elite men are scheduled to race Sunday at 4 p.m. and the event will be televised live on Universal Sports Network. Elite paratriathletes raced for titles on Saturday morning in the ITU World Paratriathlon Chicago, presented by Dare2tri, and 4,000 amateur triathletes are also on the schedule beginning Sunday morning.
ITU World Triathlon Chicago
1,500m swim, 38.1k bike, 10k run
Women — Click here for complete results
1. Gwen Jorgensen (St. Paul, Minn.), 1:55:33
2. Helen Jenkins (GBR), 1:55:53
3. Juri Ide (JPN), 1:56:00
17. Kaitlin Donner (Satellite Beach, Fla.), 1:59:40
21. Lindsey Jerdonek (Sagamore Hills, Ohio), 2:00:17
26. Erin Jones (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 2:01:24
37. Taylor Spivey (Redondo Beach, Calif.), 2:05:10
42. Nicole Truxes (Tempe, Ariz.), 2:10:26
DNF Erin Dolan (Bentonville, Ark.), Chelsea Burns (Phoenix, Ariz.)
