Race Coverage

"It's Pretty Awesome!"

Friday, 02 September 2016 23:10

ED. Ideal conditions greet satisfying attendances at HOPKINS ROYAL and ST. CROIX VALLEY this morning. Words and pics coming on Monday.

St. Croix RESULTS - Hopkins - RESULTS

By Gwen Jorgensen (gwenjorgensen.com)

Four years ago, I set a goal: to win the Rio Olympics. In 2012, Patrick and I asked Jamie if he thought winning gold was possible. He said, “You need to improve your swim, improve your bike, and probably run high 32 minutes.” Jamie was right about two out of the three (my 10km in the race was a 34 something). Jamie’s confidence in my ability to be an Olympic Champion didn’t come until London at the WTS in 2015. I was sick the week of the race. I was struggling to just get out of bed in the morning. I did efforts the day before the race and could barely breathe. My legs were heavy, my nose was stuffed, and the last thing I wanted to do was race. I was underprepared for the race and I wasn’t firing on all cylinders, but I came away with the win. It was the first time I proved I could perform under pressure....

What’s it like to win the Olympics and achieve a four-year goal?

It's pretty awesome! I’m enjoying it all and am still on a high a week later (I’m wondering if/when the low will come). I had four years to prepare for one day and I executed on that day. It’s pretty remarkable and only happened with the help of Jamie Turner, my husband Patrick Lemieux, and my many other supporters.

What happens after the race is over?

Immediately after the awards ceremony, I was interviewed at the race site by about ten different media outlets. I was then taken to drug testing (blood and urine). A press conference with Nicola Spirig and Vicky Holland followed. After, I was taken to the International Broadcast Center (which was an hour and a half away) for more interviews and media. At this point, I was starving and really wanted a shower. I got food, but the shower had to wait…At 10pm, I joined Team USA at the USA House for a celebration with family and friends where I awarded Jamie with the Order of Ikkos for his commitment and dedication. After the party, Patrick, Jamie, and I had drinks at our hotel. I had a caipirinha, which was way too strong for me. I stumbled to my room at 2am where I was finally able to brush my teeth and take a shower. The next morning, we were up at 8am for more interviews. I flew to NYC the following day with sponsor ASICS for more media opportunities, including CNBC, CBS, CNN, Fox, SI and AOL…and surprise tickets to the hottest show on Broadway, Hamilton. Red Bull was also on-site to help organize this whirlwind trip and Columbia Threadneedle treated me and Pat to a delicious celebration dinner at Morimoto.  Every day, I got to wear gorgeous dresses by designer Gabriela Hearst and other fun outfits by Tory Burch and Michael Kors. I had my hair and makeup done daily – I felt like a princess (fun fact: I don’t own any makeup).  READ MORE