Gwen Jorgensen’s 2024 season hung in the balance earlier this year in July. The Paris Olympics alternate took part in a criterium race in Colorado in late July when disaster struck. Jorgensen crashed during the bike race suffering a massive injury. What was supposed to be a warm race on the road to the 2020 World Triathlon Cup in Miyazaki, turned into a nightmare. However, her trials and tribulations were not over yet.

The 2016 Olympic gold medalist recovered just in time for the 2024 World Cup. However, it seems the script wasn’t dramatic enough as the track and field athlete suffered another fall during the final in Miyazaki reported triathlon.org. The triathlete ended up behind 15 competitors by the time she got back on her feet. However, the triathlete dug deep and started her chase to catch up with race leader Alissa Konig.

The tumble brought back the memories of Chicago for Jorgensen, but she refused to give in. The former Olympic champion gradually clawed back her lead and then gave her all during the final surge passing Konig with just a a handful of meters ahead of the finish line. “I feel like I made this race harder than it needed to be,” the Triathlon World Cup winner said after the nail-biting finish.

“The theme was just not to give up, and I just kept telling myself to race.” she admitted. Yet, things looked bleak for the former champion after looking so much ground on the leader. “At one point I thought a podium was enough, but then I thought, ‘Gwen, stop. Race, give your best’.” the Olympian admitted during the post-finals interview.

Gwen Jorgensen was also humble in victory. Despite the heroic finish and defeating someone who seemed out of reach at one point in the race, the track and field athlete had nothing but respect for her opponent. “Alissa really made me work for it and sprinted early,” confessed the 38-year-old. However, it was Jorgensen’s ‘never back down’ attitude that helped her salvage what had shaped up to be a disastrous season.

The triathlon champion’s optimism never waned

The Waukesha, Wisconsin native’s tumble at the World Cup was reminiscent of what happened in Colorado, albeit far less severe. The Olympic gold medalist recalled how the crash in Colorado wasn’t a fault of her in July. “Somebody crashed, and somehow he was off his bike and his bike was flying across the road…” said the triathlete.

“I ended up riding over the bike and two or three people crashed on top of me,” Gwen Jorgensen recalled in her YouTube announcement video from July 25. The 2024 Triathlon World Cup champion recalled feeling a shared pain after recovering from the initial crash and immediately suspected something was wrong with her collarbone.

The 2024 season didn’t start well for Jorgensen, with the athlete failing to directly qualify for Paris 2024 after lackluster finishes in two back-to-back races. The collarbone injury only added to her woes. However, the track and field icon never let doubt infiltrate her optimistic mindset. Despite breaking her collarbone in three places, Jorgensen’s postsurgery recovery was quick.

The fall at Miyazaki, Japan, nearly threatened to undo all her hard work. However, the Rio 2016 triathlon champion proved her championship mettle by dramatically beating the odds to win the World Cup. Jorgensen’s story of success mirrors that of para-triathlon icon Stefan Daniel, whose Paris Paralympic dream was shattered due to a crash. And while Daniel didn’t need to undergo surgery, the Canadian grabbed his sixth World Para Triathlon Title in October.