Gwen Jorgensen wins 1st triathlon gold for U.S., Canadian finishes 34th
Canada's Kirsten Sweetland, who was 41st, announces she has Lyme disease
By The Associated Press
Gwen Jorgensen gave the U.S. its first Olympic triathlon gold medal Saturday, crushing the field at breezy Copacabana Beach in 1 hour, 56 minutes and 16 seconds.
- WATCH: Jorgensen secures gold in women's triathlon
- WATCH: Canadians finish in bottom half of the pack
- SCHEDULE & RESULTS: Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Nicola Spirig of Switzerland, who won gold in London four years ago when Jorgensen was bamboozled by a flat tire, crossed 40 seconds later for the silver medal in Rio de Janeiro. Vicky Holland outsprinted British teammate Non Stanford to claim bronze.
With about two kilometers remaining in the race, Jorgensen made her breakaway from the Swiss athlete and wouldn't be challenged.
As she approached the blue ribbon, the former All-American track athlete and swimmer at the University of Wisconsin turned and Spirig wasn't anywhere in site. Jorgensen flipped up her goggles, acknowledged the cheers with a wide smile and grabbed the tape above her head after crossing the finish line.
Then, she broke down in tears.
The only other American to win an Olympic triathlon medal was Susan Williams, the silver medalist at the 2004 Athens Games.
Canadians complete course
As for Canadians in the competition, 23-year-old Amelie Kretz was the top finisher after coming in 34th place with a time of two hours, two minutes and 48 seconds. The Blainville, Que., native received praise from Jorgensen earlier in the year after finishing eighth in an International Triathlon Union (ITU) event.
Kirsten Sweetland of Victoria held the 41st spot through the finish line with a time of two hours, four minutes and 16 seconds, while Quebec City's Sarah-Anne Brault finished 12 seconds after Sweetland to claim the 42nd position.
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CAN?src=hash">#CAN</a> Kirsten Sweetland & Sarah-Anne Brault cross the finish line in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Triathlon?src=hash">#Triathlon</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rio2016?src=hash">#Rio2016</a> <a href="https://t.co/JAoL0ve2RK">https://t.co/JAoL0ve2RK</a> <a href="https://t.co/okmRCrXce9">https://t.co/okmRCrXce9</a>
—@CBCOlympicsAfter the race, Sweetland announced on Instagram that she's been diagnosed with Lyme disease. The 27-year-old Canadian said that, despite experiencing an illness over the past two years, she only learned of the diagnosis after an ITU event in May.
"I've kept quiet because I didn't want it to define my Games experience in anyone else's eyes, or my own," she wrote Saturday on Instagram. "We now know that I have late stage Lyme disease."
The B.C. native added that she will now head home to seek treatment and doesn't want the illness to define her.
"I'm not accepting this as a sentence, just another setback," she wrote.
With files from CBC Sports
With files from CBC Sports