Features

"One of the Most Famous Anonymous People..."

Friday, 05 August 2016 23:10

ED. Check out the results for WASECA and MINNEWASKA. Words and pics on Tuesday.

By Rachel Blount (startribune.com)

It never fails to surprise Kris Swarthout. He and his wife can go out to dinner with Gwen Jorgensen and her husband, Pat Lemieux, at any Twin Cities restaurant — no matter how busy, or how trendy — and he can guarantee they won’t be interrupted.

“No one recognizes Gwen. I mean, no one,’’ Swarthout said of Jorgensen, the two-time world triathlon champion favored to win gold at the Rio Olympics. “I talk about her, and people are like, ‘Who?’ She’s probably one of the most famous anonymous people in the world.’’   READ MORE

Swarthout, a Minneapolis triathlon coach, fully expects that to change after the Olympic women’s triathlon on Aug. 20. Jorgensen enters the Rio Games as the ....

most dominant, decorated athlete in her sport’s history, and if she takes the prize she has targeted for four years — the Olympic gold medal — it could spell the end of her under-the-radar life in St. Paul.

Since a flat tire on her bike derailed her first Olympic appearance in 2012, Jorgensen, 30, has captured world championships in 2014 and 2015. She went undefeated last season as part of a record-setting 12-race win streak in World Triathlon Series competition. That was an unheard-of achievement in a sport where potential pitfalls lurk in every corner of the 1,500-meter swim, 40-kilometer bike race and 10k run.

Through it all, Jorgensen maintained the unassuming personality of her previous career as a tax accountant. She spends much of the year at her training bases in Wollongong, Australia, and Vitoria, Spain, living a quiet, disciplined life, with Lemieux alongside her as assistant, chef, bike mechanic and emotional anchor. READ MORE