Gwen Jorgensen changes her racing plans to chase Paris 2024 dream

Gwen Jorgensen has made a change of plan to her end-of-season schedule following the WTCS Finals in Pontevedra, as the 2016 Olympic gold medalist chases valuable qualification points for Paris 2024.

Having progressed through the ranks after returning from a switch to athletics and childbirth, Jorgensen had qualified for Team USA at the Pan American Games next month in Chile, but has withdrawn from the squad to switch focus.

Now instead she will head over to Asia for back-to-back race weekends in South Korea and Japan, intending to finish the season on a high after already picking up three World Triathlon Cup podiums in 2023.

Putting Pontevedra in the past

Reflecting on her race at those WTCS Finals in Spain, which was her third Olympic-distance event in September, Jorgensen shared her disappointment with the result but said she had learned a lot from the experience and her month of intense racing.

“I did three Olympic-distance races in less than a month for the first time in my career and even when I had done back-to-back races previously in 2011, I called it a season and didn’t race again after. 

“At the Grand Final I was emotionally and physically drained, but had a great swim, put myself out there on the bike and got dropped, which was pretty frustrating to say the least. So it was a hard pill to swallow at a race where there was a lot on the line.

“It was not what I had hoped for, but we learnt a lot, especially about our family and how we can travel together, and also how to potentially maximise my racing abroad going forward.” 

Tongyeong and Miyazaki up next

Looking ahead to those end-of-season plans, Jorgensen said while it hurt to not be able to go and race for her country in Chile, it was the right choice and a trip to Asia aligned best with her Olympic qualification ambitions for 2024.

“I was so excited to do the Pan American Games but I am not doing that anymore. I’m really disappointed that they gave me the call and told me there were no World Triathlon points, so instead we came up with a plan that would help maximise my chances of qualifying for the 2024 Olympic Games going forward.” 

“The plan is to do two World Cups, the first in Tongyeong, South Korea and then the second one in Miyazaki, Japan. Tongyeong is a sprint, then Miyazaki is an Olympic distance and I’ll do these races back-to-back.

“I thought I had five weeks between Pontevedra and the Pan American Games, so I was ready for a reset and took some time off, but with this change, it really gave me a good chance to refresh before I finish up the season.”