JORGENSEN FULFILLS DREAM

Winning the Olympics was Gwen Jorgensen’s goal. Having a baby was her dream.

She’ll do both in the span of a year.

The first American to win triathlon gold announced in January that she and husband Patrick Lemieux were expecting their first child, the baby due in early August. Those post- Olympic blues that some athletes experience? Jorgensen never had time for them.

“We bought our first home ever, which has been amazing but also hard work. It’s really kept us busy,” she said. “I thought this year, because of not traveling, having a baby, not racing, I’d have (free) time. But I found that I have less time. It’s pretty nuts.” In the best possible sense. Jorgensen and Lemieux had talked for several years about starting a family but put it on hold while she chased gold.

Disappointed by her finish in London, where a flat tire ended her medal hopes, Jorgensen spent the next four years in single-minded pursuit of the Olympic title in Rio. Lemieux gave up his career as a cyclist, and the couple became nomads, spending nine months in Australia and Spain so she could train.

It paid off in Rio, where she won gold easily.

“When I see my medal, I still smile, and it brings me joy,” she said. “It was an amazing day, and I’m very proud of that day and really thankful for all the people who helped me. ... But I knew at the end of the day that race doesn’t make me who I am.

“For four years, I’d been putting on hold wanting to start a family and have a baby. To have that outside of sport has really allowed me to stay happy.”

Jorgensen had assumed that winning gold would satisfy her competitively, but she soon realized that wasn’t the case. And now there’s even more reason to keep going through Tokyo.

“It’ll be really motivating to have family on the sidelines while I’m racing,” she said, “and hopefully have a little kid that will be able to say, ‘Go, Mom!’ ”