Ten years after winning Olympic gold in Rio, Gwen Jorgensen is already doing her homework as she bids to make it back to the biggest stage of all at LA28.

The American triathlon legend recently spent a week at Venice Beach in Los Angeles, getting first-hand experience of the venue which will host the triathlon at the 2028 Olympic Games.

And this was far more than simply an opportunity for Jorgensen to take an early look at the spectacular setting.

The 40-year-old was taking part in a USA Triathlon open-water swim camp designed to help athletes prepare for the unusual challenges they could face at LA28 – and at a crucial test event on the same course next year.

A very different Olympic swim

In a video on her YouTube channel, which is embedded below, Jorgensen explained that the conditions at Venice Beach could make the swim significantly different from those athletes usually encounter on the WTCS circuit.

“This is a very unique course, the swim specifically, just with the dynamics of the waves,” she said.

“The past two days we’ve had a little bit bigger [surf] and it’s a very dynamic environment and something that you really need to get used to. It’s just feeling the waves and trying to learn all that.

“The waves are constantly changing. There seems to always be some sort of surf, so it’s not calm.

“I think a lot of our races we’re used to just swimming in things that are very calm, and so this is going to have a very dynamic, rough sort of entry and exit.”

And it isn’t simply the swimming which athletes have to master.

Jorgensen says they are expecting low tide on race day, potentially creating a long run across the beach before entering the water, with dolphin dives likely to play an important role.

“It’s going to be low tide for race day, so it’s going to be a long beach run-in, dolphin dives, and just getting the feel for that has been really beneficial as well,” she explained.

“There’s a really long sand beach run-out, so being able to see all this and be able to practise it and take some things back home and try to make it a part of our weekly training is really important.

“I think it’s really going to pay dividends in the next two years leading up into the Olympics.”

Local Venice Beach lifeguards have also been working with the athletes to help them understand the particular characteristics of the venue.

And Jorgensen admitted that continually reading the surf adds a mental challenge on top of the obvious physical demands.

“I’m constantly monitoring: how is the wave coming in? When do I need to dive down? How long? Trying to feel the water, trying to stay in the waves and all these things.

“It’s very mentally demanding as well. For me to be here and to be able to just kind of see that, it’s exciting and fun, but it’s also very, very draining both physically and mentally.”

‘That’s why I’m still doing this at 40’

There was another commitment involved in attending the camp.

Jorgensen had only just returned to the United States after racing at WTCS London and admitted she initially had reservations about immediately spending more time away from her family.

“Coming here, honestly, I had a lot of hesitation,” she reveals.

“I didn’t want to be away from my family again. I was in London last week racing, and then coming here, being away from my family is tough for me.

“But I really know that actually seeing this course and being able to be in this water will have a lot of benefits – and it’s also fun.”

That enjoyment remains a significant part of the motivation for an athlete who achieved the ultimate prize in triathlon a decade ago.

“We’re out there today just kind of catching waves, catching boomers, and that’s exciting. That’s fun. But we’re also learning a ton.

“That’s why I’m still doing this sport at the age of 40. I love it. It’s fun, and there’s challenges and things for me to constantly learn.”

Jorgensen identifies key LA28 target

For now, Jorgensen’s immediate focus remains on the remainder of the 2026 WTCS season – she’s on the start list for Weihai next week as she builds up to the Grand Final in Pontevedra in September.

But what happens after that is particularly intriguing.

A WTCS event is set to take place at Venice Beach in 2027 as a test event for the Olympics – and Jorgensen believes it could carry enormous significance for her hopes of returning to the Games.

“Next year, almost a year to today, there will be an event here in Los Angeles and Venice Beach,” she explained.

“It’ll be a test event for the Olympics, and that’ll probably most likely be the first opportunity for us to qualify for the Olympics.

“So that’s really where I’m really focused for the next year. That’ll be this event here in Venice.”

For an athlete whose Olympic journey appeared to have ended after that famous victory in Rio in 2016, it would be quite a story.

Jorgensen returned to triathlon in 2023 following more than six years away from the sport and ultimately missed out on selection for Paris 2024.

But LA28 has presented another opportunity – and this time the Games are on home soil.

Two years out, Jorgensen is already learning every detail she can about the waters in which her bid for another Olympic appearance could ultimately be decided.