D'Amato: Gwen Jorgensen wins triathlon gold

      Rio de Janeiro – The pressure built and built over the last four years, all of it self-induced. Gwen Jorgensen pointed to Aug. 20, 2016, told everyone that winning the gold medal in women’s triathlon at the Olympic Games was her solitary goal.

            When you declare such a lofty ambition – just one race, only one acceptable result – the only other possibility is crushing disappointment.

            And so, Gwen Jorgensen went to the starting line Saturday at Copacabana Beach knowing she had to win. There was no escape route, no contingency plan. She faced a 1.5-kilometer swim, followed by a 38.5k bike ride and a 10k run. No matter what happened over the next two hours, she had to cross the finish line first.

            There would be no joy in “winning” silver or bronze. It was either the gold medal, or a lead balloon.

            “Silver or bronze was an absolute failure in her eyes,” said her husband, Patrick Lemieux. “She was very clear about that.”

            Jorgensen carried that burden on her slender shoulders. And on a sun-splashed day on one of the world’s most famous beaches, she delivered.

            The 30-year-old native of Waukesha, Wis., who swam and ran track and cross country at the University of Wisconsin, became the first American, male or female, to win Olympic gold in the triathlon.

            She pulled away from Nicola Spirig Hug of Switzerland over the final portion of the run and crossed the finish line in 1 hour 56 minutes 16 seconds.

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            Four long years had passed since a flat tire had knocked Jorgensen out of medal contention in London and set her on this single-minded pursuit. Nearly four years had passed since she decided to upend her life and join coach Jamie Turner’s elite training group in Wollongong, Australia.

            “I’ve been pretty vocal about my goal for the past four years,” Jorgensen said. “After London I said I wanted to go to Rio and I wanted to win gold. It all came down to one day and so to be able to actually execute on the day is pretty amazing.”

            The race evolved into a fascinating cat-and-mouse game between Jorgensen, a two-time world champion, and Spirig, who won Olympic gold at the 2012 London Games.

            Jorgensen got out of the water in 23rd place and had some work to do. She attacked on the bike and quickly worked her way up through the lead group on Lap 1 of the eight-lap street course.

            “To me, her swim was below average but her bike exceeded what she was capable of,” Lemieux said. “For Gwen, that key moment on the first lap of the bike is something she can look back on and say, ‘I was dealt a hand and I played it to the best of my ability.’ ”

            Spirig cranked hard at the front. She knew her only real chance to beat Jorgensen was to open up a considerable gap, because no female triathlete in the world can run stride for stride with Jorgensen for 10,000 meters.

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            In a World Triathlon Series race in Leeds, England, earlier this year, Jorgensen trailed by 100 seconds going into the run and won by 51. No one had ever overcome a bigger deficit in WTS history.

            “Nicola was pushing it on the bike for sure and we have her to thank a lot for gaining so much time on that chase pack,” Jorgensen said. “She was riding really strong and put her head in the wind for a lot of it.”

            To Spirig’s dismay, Jorgensen stayed on her rear wheel and then surged into the lead early in the run. They quickly opened a considerable gap on the chase group and it became obvious everyone else in the field was racing for bronze.

             Spirig passed and Jorgensen settled in behind, first on Spirig’s left shoulder, then on her right, letting her know that she was there and wasn’t going away. They stayed that way through three laps of the four-lap run and then exchanged words starting the final lap.

            “Nicola and I were playing a few games,” Jorgensen said. “We were running into a headwind and neither one of us wanted to lead. We were like, ‘You lead. I led.’ Nicola said, ‘I already have a medal,’ which is fair enough.”

            Spirig was telling Jorgensen that if she was going to win, she was going to have to work for it. Jorgensen smiled, gritted her teeth, passed Spirig and quickly started putting distance between them.

            “I have faith in Gwen’s final 2k and so does she,” Lemieux said. “She knew she was going to swing the hammer once and make it count.”

            Vicky Holland of Great Britain, who won the bronze medal, saw what was transpiring ahead of her and knew what was going to happen.

            “For me, to watch Gwen in full flight – usually from behind – is quite something,” Holland said. “I could see that they were running together for a long time until Gwen surged away. We’ve seen it in so many races. When Gwen is gone it’s very hard to get her back again.”

            Lemieux, who gave up a professional cycling career to support Jorgensen on her quest, saw his wife pulling away and felt a surge of adrenaline.

            “It was 1 meter, 3 meters, 6 meters, 20 seconds and you’re going, ‘It’s happening,’ ” he said. “It was amazing. It was like, ‘Man, she did it.’ ”

            Twenty meters from the finish, Jorgensen moved her sunglasses to the top of her head and smiled. A few seconds later, she was sobbing, overcome with emotion. She cried through her entire interview on NBC, too.

            “I can’t imagine the weight on her shoulders, but there’s been a fair fraction of that on mine, too,” a relieved Lemieux said. “I’m 100% invested. We’ve spent every single day together since 2014.”

            Spirig finished 40 seconds behind Jorgensen and won the silver.

            “I tried everything on the run,” she said. “We had some mental games and I told her after the race that she is really deserving of the gold. I tried everything to get her out of her rhythm and make it hard for her. She was just too good in the moment.”

            In October 2012, Jorgensen was trying to decide if moving to Australia and joining Turner’s group was the right move. She was working part-time for Ernst & Young in Milwaukee and really didn’t want to leave home; by then she was dating Lemieux and spending a lot of time with him in St. Paul, Minn.

            But she also knew she needed a performance environment that would push her to the next level.

            “When she sat down with Jamie in October 2012 they were having the chat and he’s going, ‘What is keeping you from going to the next level? What do you need from me as a coach?’ ” Lemieux said. “At the end of the dinner she goes, ‘Well, do you think I’m capable of winning a gold medal?’

            “Jamie said, ‘If we make your swim better and your bike better – and I believe I can do that – your run will take care of itself and I think you can win the gold medal.’ From that day, (her sole focus) was the gold medal.”

            Over the next three years, Jorgensen won a record 17 WTS races, including 12 consecutively, and two world championships.

            But Aug. 20, 2016, was the only day that mattered.

            Now that she’s won Olympic gold, will she try to make it two in 2020?

            “I’ve had a four-year plan, and I’m definitely a planner,” Jorgensen said with a laugh. “But I have zero plans for Aug. 21. So wait and find out.”