Why aren't Wisconsin runners Molly Seidel and Gwen Jorgensen in the 2024 Paris Olympics?

At some point during the next two weeks, you may find yourself wondering why Wisconsin won't be represented at the 2024 Paris Olympics by distance running standouts Gwen Jorgensen and Molly Seidel, both of whom have delivered uplifting moments in each of the past two Summer Games.

Jorgensen, a graduate of Waukesha South High School, won the triathlon in the 2016 Olympics . Seidel, from University Lake School in western Waukesha County, landed a bronze medal in the marathon in 2021 in Tokyo , marking a rare top-three finish for an American runner at the Olympics.

What happened in 2024?

A knee injury kept Molly Seidel from returning to the Olympics in the marathon

Seidel announced in February that a knee injury was going to keep her from competing in the marathon for a second straight Olympics.

"About a month ago, my knee took this huge turn for the worse. I couldn't run on it at all," Seidel, who turned 30 earlier this month, shared in a video posted to Instagram.

She explained that an MRI showed she'd broken her patella and partially torn her patellar tendon, forcing her to withdraw just three days before the trials race.

"Ultimately, I got to this week and my knee had not healed up enough, and I knew I could not race a marathon hard on it in its current state without really, really injuring myself," she said.

Jorgensen was an alternate for the USA in the triathlon, but she also just broke her collarbone

Jorgensen, now 38 years old, did attempt to qualify for the triathlon but was ultimately not invited to the showcase, though she was given the title of alternate.

She joined Katie Zaferes, the Olympic bronze medalist in the individual triathlon in 2021, as alternates. Jorgensen went into detail on the selection process and cited a variety of factors that worked against her, including a frustration in getting opportunities to compete in high-profile races.

Ultimately, the governing body overseeing USA triathlon felt other athletes gave the country a better shot at a medal.

But that's not all. On July 25, she posted a video to her YouTube channel that showed she had broken her collarbone after a bike-race collision.

Jorgensen switched her focus from triathlon to the marathon for the 2020 Olympics but ultimately changed course again after sustaining injuries and tried qualifying in track and field distance races. She was only able to compete in the 5,000 meters and took ninth at the U.S. Trials, short of an Olympic qualifying finish. She returned to regular triathlon competition in 2023.

Jorgensen has also welcomed two sons since winning the gold medal in 2016.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Why aren't Wisconsin runners Molly Seidel and Gwen Jorgensen in the 2024 Paris Olympics?