Anybody else see the women’s triathlon finish? Here’s the backstory, from over a year ago:
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Gwen Jorgensen pulled away on the final lap of the run to cross the finish line, far ahead of second place. In front of cheering crowds on the Copacabana Beach, she won the U.S. its first Olympic gold medal in triathlon and broke into tears. She was the most dominant woman triathlete in history.
This past November, two kids and more than six years later, Jorgensen set out to make her return to the sport. She ran one minute, then walked for five. Later, she rode 20 minutes on a stationary bike, pleasantly surprised with how good she felt. She decided she was going to go for it.
Today the 38-year-old mom of two won the gold medal, finishing 40 seconds ahead of the second-place runner. It was exciting to watch. Gwen and the other runner, from Sweden (I think) ran literally side by side for the final mile or two. It was clear Gwen was going to pull away–the other runner was clearly struggling. In contrast, Gwen was calm and relaxed, with a pleasant poker face, then she finally began to grin about 5 steps from the finish. Then she broke down in tears. The Olympics at their best, especially for American homers like me.
