Gwen Jorgensen

Gwen Jorgensen, born on 25 April 1986 in Waukesha, Wisconsin, is an American distance runner and professional triathlete who won the United States' first ever Olympic triathlon gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, in 1 hour 56 minutes 16 seconds. She was the champion of the 2014 and 2015 ITU World Triathlon Series and won 13 consecutive series races before Helen Jenkins ended the streak in 2016. A swimmer and runner at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she earned a master's degree in accounting, passed the CPA exam and worked as a tax accountant at Ernst and Young before USA Triathlon encouraged her to try the sport. She suffered a flat tire at the 2012 London Olympics and finished 38th.