Like a wine of a certain vintage, you knew exactly what you were going to get when the Valencia World Cup was uncorked. At almost every stage of the race, it became increasingly apparent that a Jorgensen, 2016 vintage was on offer.
As Jolien Vermeylen led the 1500m swim with Anja Weber and Yuko Takahashi for company, Jorgensen emerged perfectly placed. Twenty-three of the thirty-six starters exited the water within 15 seconds of Vermeylen’s 22:13 split. Jorgensen was a mere 7 seconds back and rubbing shoulders with the leaders in T1.
At some points earlier in her comeback, Jorgensen’s swim had not always fired. Indeed the swim saw the untimely end of her comeback WTCS race in Cagliari. In Valencia, however, the story was different.
Just as Jorgensen had converted her swim into a reliable strength by 2016, arriving in T1 often within sight of the leaders, so she did in Valencia. From there, the job at hand was simple.
With only ten women missing the front group, the lead pack stayed mostly together. There was plenty of power to hand at the head of the race. Takahashi pulled some big turns, as did Noelia Juan. The German trio of Marlene Gomez-Göggel, Anabel Knoll and Nina Eim likewise played their part in setting the tempo.
Throughout it all, though, Jorgensen sat in control.
Of course, there were several running threats alongside her. Tilda Månsson, the winner of the Tiszaujvaros World Cup, lurked nearby, as did Maria Carolina Velasquez Soto. Yet there was a quiet authority in the way Jorgensen moved through the group.
Once through T2, the former Olympic champion cruised into the lead with Eim and Vermeylen. Juan, Velasquez, Gomez-Göggel, Takahashi and Marta Pintanel Raymundo stuck to the leaders. By the end of the first of the four run laps, though, the pace grew too high for some.
Jorgensen, Eim and Vermeylen crossed together, with Juan 5 seconds back. Around 13 seconds behind the front three were Velasquez, Gomez-Göggel, Takahashi and Pintanel. Each still looked composed. However none looked quite capable of mounting a charge against Jorgensen.
On the second lap, the American raised her level again and breezed away from Eim and Vermeylen. The Belgian athlete lost 20 seconds and fell back towards the remaining Juan, Gomez-Göggel and Takahashi, leaving only Eim to contend with Jorgensen.
Eim continued to push but could not bring the gap down. If anything, she leaked a few extra seconds over the third lap.
Completely alone at the end, Jorgensen could afford to relax into the finish. It has been a season of ups and downs, with disappointments like Cagliari interspersed with moments like her silver medal at the Huatulco World Cup. Valencia, though, was her most commanding showing yet and gave her a first individual win of the year. A little over seven years after stepping onto the top of the podium in Rio de Janeiro, she was back on top in an international race.
In practically every respect, then, from execution to outcome, this looked an awful lot like a bottle from the 2016 vintage. Having hit a new high in her return to the sport, the question to now be asked is simple. What will Jorgensen do next?
Having been the only athlete capable of matching Jorgensen’s pace for much of the run, Eim crossed next to take the silver medal. In doing so she matched her best World Cup result, taking a second World Cup medal in the process. This year Eim has matured into a consistent force on the world stage, with a lowest finish of 11th at WTCS Yokohama, and qualified for the German Olympic team.
In a late surge, Gomez-Göggel kicked ahead of Juan and Vermeylen to seal the bronze medal and put two German women on the podium. Such was her speed on the final lap, she briefly looked as if she would close on Eim but in the end missed the silver medal by 7 seconds.
Like Eim, Gomez-Göggel has had a strong season and her medal backed up a personal best WTCS finish in Hamburg.
Juan was the next athlete home and stood as the best Spanish finisher while Vermeylen rounded out the top-5.
You can view the full results here.
