Family Affair For Jorgsensen As She Runs To Victory In Austin

Gwen Jorgensen produced a blistering run in front of her watching family to come from sixth place out of T1 and take victory at the inaugural Supertri Pro Series race at Ascension Seton Supertri Austin.

The Rio 2016 Olympic gold medal winner had a tough time with the deep water swim start which caused issues for many athletes, but showed true class to move up through the field and decimate all in front of her with her incredible run prowess.

Behind Jorgensen, there was a real battle for second with Eleanor Beveridge, Zuzana Michaliková and Joy Gill all in contention in the final meters. Beveridge and Michaliková just stole a march but came across the line together, with the official timing giving USA athlete Beveridge the win over her Slovakian rival by just 23 hundredths of a second.

For Jorgensen, the win was a family affair and capped an incredible weekend for the mum of two.

Gwen Jorgensen said: “It was super awesome. My kids came to the finish line and got some high fives. It was super fun for my family to be here but my son did say ‘mom, when you do well we have to stay longer so maybe wasn’t super pumped that we won. But having my family here to enjoy it and being here in Austin where we have had a great time, had some great food and a great weekend. It was a beautiful course with fans all around.”

Supertri Austin was the first race of the revamped Supertri Pro Series, which sees athletes - from elite to first timers - race under a new unified race format. The pros competed over a sprint distance, draft-legal format. Supertri partnered with USA Triathlon for the event to ensure young elite athletes have the chance to race at the highest level, and pays 10 deep. Three athletes per gender also qualified for the Supertri Pro Series Final in Jersey on September 6, with its $800,000 prize pool.

Eleanor Beveridge said: “I am someone who does well off of momentum so going in with a deep water start impacted it a lot and it was rough even with a smaller field. I waited back and went around and I like a winding course so it was a lot of fun. I had a solid T2 and I wished I could have come out in a better position but then I was solid on the run. I don’t have the strongest sprint finish right now so I knew with the girls behind me in third and fourth I really had to close fast to get that second place spot.”

Zuzana Michaliková said: “It was tough at the start but I really enjoyed being part of Podium Racing again. I didn't have the right goggles for the conditions but we went for it on the course and it was a nice race and we enjoyed it.”

With Michaliková already a central Supertri athlete, the three who earned qualification for the Pro Series final were Gwen Jorgensen, Eleanor Beveridge and Joy Gill.

Results:

1. Gwen Jorgensen (USA): 58:14

2. Eleanor Beveridge (USA): 58:33

3. Zuzana Michaliková (SVK): 58:33

4. Joy Gill (USA): 58:37

5. Michelle Magnani (USA): 59:40

6. Annie Fuller (USA): 1:00:13

7. Rylan Lonergan (USA): 1:00:48

8. Faith Dasso (USA): 1:01:22

9. Mackenzie McConagha (USA): 1:01:39

10. Avalyn Thompson (USA): 1:03:17