USA's Gwen Jorgensen wins gold medal in women's triathlon at Rio Olympics

RIO DE JANEIRO -- In a long series of wins, Gwen Jorgensen’s Olympic gold will stand out.

Jorgensen gave the United States its first gold in triathlon Saturday since it became in Olympic sport in 2000. The victory caps what has been arguably the most dominant stretch in triathlon history by Jorgensen, who has won all but two individual races since April 2014. 

She set a record with 13 consecutive victories in the ITU’s World Triathlon Series from May 17, 2014 to April 3.

The Olympic title is particularly sweet for Jorgensen, who upended her entire life after a flat tire resulted in a disappointing 38th-place finish in London. For the past three years, she has lived overseas for nine months out of the year, training in Wollongong, Australia, a city 90 minutes south of Sydney, and Vitoria, Spain, which is about 3½ hours north of Madrid.

And her emotion at the end was testimony to that commitment. With a comfortable lead, she smiled broadly down the home stretch and then broke into tears after crossing the finish line.

Her time was 1:56.16.

PHOTOS: AUG. 20 AT THE RIO OLYMPICS