LEEDS, England -- 2016 U.S. Olympic qualifier Gwen Jorgensen ran her way on to the top of the podium on Sunday at World Triathlon Leeds, making up a deficit of more than 90 seconds to claim her second ITU World Triathlon Series win of 2016.
Gwen Jorgensen earned her 17th career WTS win on Sunday. (Janos M Schmidt/ITU)
Jorgensen (St. Paul, Minn.) clocked in at 2 hours, 33 seconds on the 1,500-meter swim, 41.765-kilometer bike, 10-kilometer run course for her 17th career ITU World Triathlon Series win. Bermuda's Flora Duffy finished second, crossing the line in 2:01:24, and Great Britain's Vicky Holland was third in 2:01:57. Sarah True (Hanover, N.H.), also a qualifier for Rio 2016, finished 15th.
Jorgensen and True were within 10 seconds of Great Britain's Jessica Learmonth, who led out of the water with compatriot Lucy Hall and Duffy. Learmonth, Hall and Duffy immediately put distance on the rest of the field, with Jorgensen and True riding roughly 90 seconds back for the entire bike leg. Entering the second transition, Jorgensen had a gap of 1:34 to Duffy, who was leading the charge on the run. By the 5k mark on the run, Jorgensen had cut into the lead, overtaking Duffy on the third of four laps. In the final 1.5 laps of the run, Jorgensen extended her lead to win by 51 seconds.
"With new courses, you never really know what to expect. It was a fun course, but a tough course," Jorgensen said. "Rio is a focus for the year. It's great to come into these races and get exposed a little bit, and see where I can improve."
Jorgensen moves to third in the 2016 Columbia Threadneedle ITU World Triathlon Series rankings with 2,340 points. Duffy remains ranked No. 1 with 2,691 points, and Great Britain's Jodie Stimpson is second with 2,513 points. View the complete rankings at Triathlon.org.
In the men's race, Great Britain's Alistair Brownlee and Jonathan Brownlee finished 1-2 on a hometown course, with Australia Aaron Royle in third. William Huffman (Colleyville, Texas) finished 28th and Hunter Lussi (Kensington, Md.) was 34th.
The next stop on the 2016 ITU World Triathlon Series circuit is Stockholm, Sweden, on July 2.
Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds
1,500m swim, 41.765k bike, 10k run
Elite Women - Complete Results
1. Gwen Jorgensen (St. Paul, Minn.), 2:00:33
2. Flora Duffy (BER), 2:01:24
3. Vicky Holland (GBR), 2:01:57
U.S. Finishers
15. Sarah True (Hanover, N.H.), 2:03:49
Elite Men - Complete Results
1. Alistair Brownlee (GBR), 1:49:27
2. Jonathan Brownlee (GBR), 1:49:59
3. Aaron Royle (AUS), 1:50:33
U.S. Finishers
28. William Huffman (Colleyville, Texas), 1:55:11
34. Hunter Lussi (Kensington, Md.), 1:56:38
| About USA Triathlon
USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon, as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon and paratriathlon in the United States. Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon sanctions more than 4,300 races and connects with nearly 500,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work with athletes, coaches and race directors on the grassroots level, USA Triathlon provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championships, Pan American Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. USA Triathlon is a proud member of the ITU and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).
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