Gwen Jorgensen says she’s proud she had “the courage to race when I knew I wasn’t at my best” after making her comeback in Dubai over the weekend.
The 2016 Olympic champion made a shock return to the sport in 2023 but had suggested she wouldn’t be on a start line again this year after having surgery over the summer to resolve a Haglund’s deformity – which is a bony enlargement on the back of the heel bone where the Achilles tendon attaches.
The American superstar had started the campaign in fine style with a win in the Americas Triathlon Cup Miami and then came fourth at WTCS Yokohama in mid-May but bad luck and the injury made things a struggle before the surgery.
She has already said that “I want to have another three good years” in triathlon, which would take her up to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
But it was a welcome surprise to see her back in action so soon in Dubai for a new women-only event which World Triathlon say is “a major step forward in the global progression of women’s triathlon” and featured more than 160 Age-Group women from over 30 nations lined up alongside the elite athletes.
‘Suffer-fest’
Jorgensen crossed the line in sixth place behind Valentina Riasova and said afterwards in a video on her Instagram page: “It was a great experience to be able to be in this inaugural event and to see all the women, the age groupers, a lot of whom did the same course as us.
“So that was really super cool just to hopefully get more women involved in the sport and be a part of that event.
“Sixth place is nothing amazing but honestly I came to this race and I thought I’m probably not going to win but I really thought I had a chance at a podium. So that wasn’t in the cards today. I had a fine swim, a fine bike and my run fitness was not there and that showed.
“And so for me it was just a suffer-fest till the end. I actually got out-sprinted too, which I didn’t expect. But you know, that’s racing. It is what it is. I’m really proud that I came out here and had the courage to race when I knew I wasn’t at my best.”
Back in Dubai in March
The focus is now all about building up to the 2026 season, which will start with a return to Dubai in March for the first WTCS race.
Jorgensen added: “I wanted to come out here, support this event. I think it’s a really cool thing that World Triathlon is doing and I also wanted to kind of kick start myself and remind myself what it’s like to race.
“It’s been a while since I’ve raced post surgery so it’s about remembering what that feels like, what that hurt is like, and go back and really start ramping up training for the 2026 season.
“I’ve escaped some snow back home which is nice but I definitely miss my kids and my husband, but they’re so incredibly supportive to let me come out here and race and do what I love.
“The most important thing was to come out here, get on a start list, remind the body what it’s like to race, and start the 2026 season a little bit early in December.”
