Gwen Jorgensen Takes WTS Lead With Stockholm Win
Jorgensen's 31:41 10K run gave her the win and the overall WTS lead over Anne Haug (GER) heading into next month’s Grand Final in London.
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American Gwen Jorgensen earned her third World Triathlon Series (WTS) victory of the 2013 season today in Stockholm, Sweden by once again outrunning the competition. Her 31:41 10K run gave her the win and the overall WTS lead by eight points over Anne Haug (GER) heading into next month’s Grand Final in London.
Read the race recap from Triathlon.org below:
American Gwen Jorgensen rediscovered her early season form in scintillating fashion in Stockholm on Saturday, making her third World Triathlon Series in 2013 win one of her best.
In yet another stellar run leg, where Jorgensen pulled back almost 40 seconds on Andrea Hewitt in just over one lap to take the lead, she went on to win by 49 seconds from Great Britain’s Non Stanford and Germany’s Anne Haug. But that run wasn’t even her favorite part of the performance, that was given to her impressive swim.
Race Recap
With a chilly wetsuit swim to start the day in Stockholm, Brazil’s Pamela Oliveira set the pace for the women as the first one to dive back into the Baltic Sea on the two-lap swim. The second lap proved to be a deciding factor, with Sarah Groff (USA) and Mariko Adachi (JPN) working with Oliveira to pull away with a group of 20 in the choppy harbor. The bone-chilling water temperatures didn’t detract Groff from leading the pack out of the water to the uphill transition. Included in that group were top players Jodie Stimpson (GBR) and Andrea Hewitt (NZL), but perhaps most surprising was the presence of Jorgensen (USA).
Anne Haug (GER), Lisa Norden (SWE) and Non Stanford (GBR) were forced to do work early in the bike, as they trailed out of the swim by just over a minute. But with Haug at the helm of the chase, it didn’t take long before that time gap closed and they were up with the leaders. However, by the time that bridged up, Hewitt and Vanessa Raw (GBR) were making a go off the front of the bike with five laps to go. Over the next four laps the pair steadily put on time and after seven laps they had a 35-second lead.
But in a strategic move, strong cyclists like Lisa Norden and Haug opted not to go after them. With the chase behind them, the duo of Hewitt and Raw continued to push the pace the remaining three laps, securing a 33-second gap by the seventh lap in hopes their break would prove fruitful on the run.
By the end of the nine-lap course, the Kiwi pulled slightly ahead of Raw to go billowing onto the run course with a 44-second advantage. Behind them, Jorgensen bulldozed through transition with the podium on her mind to get out ahead of key athletes like Haug, Stanford, Maaike Caelers and Jodie Stimpson.
In just one lap, Jorgensen had reeled in Raw and was working on Hewitt, whom she quickly overtook early on the second of four run laps. Hewitt attempted to keep pace, but skilled runner Stanford made a move halfway through the run in an attempt to put herself on the podium. Stimpson, Caelers and Haug followed in a line, making it a three-way battle for the final medal, but it was Haug who managed to push ahead and put herself in the podium frame and in doing so just hold onto second place in the overall rankings heading into London.
Behind Haug, Vicky Holland was running her way through the field in her best WTS performance of the season, while Jodie Stimpson’s fifth place meant that there was an impressive three British women within the top five places. In her first ITU race since the 2012 Grand Final, Sweden’s Lisa Norden finished 19th.
PHOTOS: Gwen Jorgensen’s Rise To No. 1
ITU World Triathlon Series Stockholm
Stockholm, Sweden – Aug. 24, 2013
1.5K swim, 40k bike, 10K run
Women
1. Gwen Jorgensen (USA) 1:55:31
2. Non Stanford (GBR) 1:56:20
3. Anne Haug (GER) 1:56:45
4. Vicky Holland (GBR) 1:57:02
5. Jodie Stimpson (GBR) 1:57:06
6. Maaike Caelers (NED) 1:57:09
7. Andrea Hewitt (NZL) 1:57:38
8. Sarah Groff (USA) 1:57:41
9. Alieen Reid (IRL) 1:57:44
10. Alice Betto (ITA) 1:57:48
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