When Gwen Jorgensen‘s run was over, her run was over.
Jorgensen’s record winning streak of 13 top-level international triathlons was snapped emphatically in Gold Coast, Australia, on Saturday.
The favorite in Rio to become the first U.S. Olympic triathlon champion lost for the first time since April 26, 2014.
Jorgensen finished second Saturday, a distant 41 seconds behind Great Britain’s Helen Jenkins after nearly two hours of racing Down Under.
“Helen was really strong today,” Jorgensen said in exhaustion shortly afterward. “She was the better athlete.”
Jorgensen had always been the better athlete — far and away, in some cases — for nearly the last two years.