Helen Jenkins finished second to Gwen Jorgensen (USA) at the ITU World Triathlon Chicago. Jenkins led for much of the run but was chased down by a fantastic run from Jorgensen.
Jenkins performance moves her up to second in the ITU World Triathlon Series whilst Jorgensen, the pre race home favourite, extends her lead at the top of the rankings.
The choppy, non-wetsuit swim separated the athletes out during the swim and Jenkins got into a lead group without Jorgensen. By the start of the run she had a minute advantage over the American, but it proved not to be enough when Jorgensen took the lead on the fourth and final lap.
Jenkins finished ahead of Japan’s Juri Ide to secure the silver medal and her third podium finish of an excellent season.
She said: “I knew she [Jorgensen] was catching and because it was so hot and humid, and I’m not great in the humidity, I was really was just trying to keep myself together keep myself in one piece. I couldn’t afford to back down because I knew Gwen was coming.”
Jenkins pushed the pace for much of the bike leg, but it wasn’t enough to keep Jorgensen from claiming the sixth World Triathlon Series victory of her career, making her the most successful female athlete ever in the Series.
Jenkins added: “We tried to keep pushing. It’s a really tough course to keep a group working because there are so many dead turns. I loved the swim today, I had a good swim, it was so choppy, it was great fun!”
Earlier today Clare Cunningham was a comfortable winner of the PT4 paratriathlon gold in Chicago. The world bronze medallist claimed valuable points to help qualify her for the World Championships in Edmonton at the end of August.
Cunningham was the lone British competitor in today’s paratriathlon. The event provided a great showcase for the sport, which will make it’s Paralympic debut in Rio in 2016, with the home team winning seven of the ten gold medals available across the different disability classifications.
Tomorrow’s elite men’s race will feature Adam Bowden and three of the top four men in the current Series rankings; Javier Gomez (ESP), Mario Mola (ESP) and Richard Murray (RSA). The race will be televised live at 10pm UK time.
Results
Elite women
1. Gwen Jorgensen, USA, 1:55.33
2. Helen Jenkins, GBR, 1:55.53
3. Juri Ide, JPN, 1:56.00
PT4 Paratriathlon
1. Clare Cunningham, GBR, 1:13.27
2. Grace Norman, USA, 1:17.41
3. Donna Dewick, USA, 1:49.32
