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Waukesha triathlon competitor a frontrunner for gold in Rio

The road to Rio is less than six months away
Posted at 8:12 AM, Feb 18, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-20 16:04:37-04
Waukesha's Gwen Jorgensen is nicknamed "triathlon terminator"  for her dominance in the sport.  
 
It's a far cry from her days in a Milwaukee office.
 
When TODAY'S TMJ4 first met Gwen back in November 2011, she was an accountant at Ernst & Young.  But now, she's one of the heavy favorites to win gold in Rio.
 
"After the London Olympics in 2012, I crossed the finish line and my one thought was, 'I want to get gold in Rio,'" she said.
 
Her husband, Patrick Lemieux, gave up a promising cycling career of his own to focus on Gwen's quest for glory.
 
"I just have to be a world class caretaker," he said. "I can't be a world class athlete, but I can be a world class house husband."
 
With issues ranging from dirty water to the Zika virus in Brazil, Jorgensen was one of the first Olympians to compete in a test event.
 
"I was pleasantly surprised with the Rio test event. We didn't really know what to expect and we showed up and the bike course was in great condition," she said. "The roads were in perfect quality and the water is obviously talked about a lot, but the ITU and USA Triathlon had the water tested and it met standards for us to race, like every single other race that we race in, so you know, we as athletes show up and we don't really think about that too much. We just are there to race and get the job done."
 
Off course issues: Pressure as the frontrunner for gold.  It's something the triathlon couple is trying to keep in stride.
 
Patrick said he would feel a sense of relief if  his wife is blessed enough to be on the winning podium at the end.
 
"It''s something we've worked really hard for and I think it'll just be a big sigh of relief," he said.