COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Olympic triathlon champion Gwen Jorgensen has been nominated for the Team USA Awards presented by Dow, Best of the Games by the United States Olympic Committee for outstanding achievements at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Gwen Jorgensen is America's first triathlon Olympic champion. (Nils Nilsen/USA Triathlon)
Jorgensen (St. Paul, Minn.) is one of five female nominees, and votes may be cast for the Best of the Games honors at TeamUSA.org. Voting for the Team USA Awards presented by Dow ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Sept. 6.
Jorgensen's victory is the first-ever Olympic gold medal in triathlon for the U.S. Jorgensen set a goal four years ago of winning gold in Rio after sustaining a flat tire on the bike during the London Olympic Games triathlon. During the competition in Rio, she came out of the water in prime position to ride in the lead group, which allowed her to take an early lead during the 10-kilometer run portion. For the first 8k of the run, Jorgensen ran side-by-side with 2012 Olympic champion Nicola Spirig of Switzerland. Jorgensen surged ahead of Spirig with just 2k left, finishing in 1 hour, 56 minutes, 16 seconds, a margin of 40 seconds ahead of Spirig.
Read about the impact of Jorgensen's gold medal performance on the sport of triathlon here.
In addition to Jorgensen, other nominees for the Female Athlete of the Olympic Games, presented by DICK'S Sporting Goods are Simone Biles, gymnastics; Katie Ledecky, swimming; Helen Maroulis, wrestling; and Claressa Shields, boxing.
Visit TeamUSA.org/awards to vote for Jorgensen, as well as Best of the Games nominees in the male athlete and team categories.
| 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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