SM
Real Sociedad vs. Real Madrid: 15 hrs 12 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data

British triathlon hopefuls aiming to follow in Alistair Brownlee's footsteps

:Headline: British triathlon hopefuls aiming to follow in Alistair Brownlee's footsteps:
Jonny Brownlee, Alex Yee, Georgia Taylor-Brown, Vicky Holland and Jess Learmonth will compete for Team GB.
Sports Mole

Britain's triathletes will look to step out of the shadow of Alistair Brownlee at the Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo this week.

Brownlee had to admit defeat in his bid to challenge for a third straight gold medal, with an ankle injury preventing him recapturing the form that saw him dominate the races in London and Rio.

His younger brother Jonny, who has silver and bronze medals from the last two Games, is on the team along with Rio bronze medallist Vicky Holland and first-timers Jess Learmonth, Georgia Taylor-Brown and Alex Yee.

The latter three may not be household names yet but performance director Mike Cavendish is bullish, telling the PA news agency: "I don't think we've ever taken a team to a Games before where genuinely every single athlete who is on the start-line for Great Britain could be in with a shout if the race goes their way.

"That puts us in a great position, and I don't think there's many other countries, or any other countries, that are in a similar place."

First up on Monday comes the men's race, followed by the women on Tuesday and, for the first time in the Olympics on Saturday, the mixed relay, where two men and two women from each country compete together.

The most exciting prospect is 23-year-old Yee, who is the fastest runner triathlon has ever seen. He secured his spot on the team by winning his first World Triathlon Series race in Leeds last month to mark himself out as a potential gold medal contender.

“We're absolutely convinced that his time will come.”
- Mike Cavendish on Alex Yee

Cavendish said: "He's been inspired by what Alistair and Jonny have done in the past. It's so unfortunate that Alistair couldn't be here because of his injury but, to have Alex step in as the next generation, that's almost the best outcome.

"He's super talented. For him, this is all about just laying down the sort of performance that he can. If that ends up in a podium, then great. If not, then he'll just take all the learning he can from this and experience and we're absolutely convinced that his time will come."

Jonny Brownlee is no longer a consistent top-three performer but he won a World Cup race in May, and Cavendish said: "The one thing you know about Jonny is he knows how to get it right.

"We talk about one day, one race. It doesn't really matter what you do in the intervening four years, or five years in this case. He's done the right prep, he's in really good shape and a really good place as well. He'll want a different race to Alex but I think he'll be going into it full of confidence as well."

Learmonth, Holland and Taylor-Brown can all look back on strong recent results.

Holland, the veteran of the team at 35, was the world champion in 2018 and won a World Cup last year while Taylor-Brown is the reigning world champion and has not finished outside the top three in a race for two years.

Her close friend Learmonth was the only one of the trio who raced in Leeds last month, where she finished second.

Taylor-Brown and Learmonth dominated the test event over the Olympic course in Tokyo in 2019 only to be disqualified for holding hands as they crossed the line together.

Alistair (right) and Jonny Brownlee won gold and silver medals in Rio (Mike Egerton/PA)

"If we've got two women coming across the finish line together, providing they don't hold hands and contrive it and they're in position one and two, we'd be very happy," said Cavendish. "And, believe me, there's no way they'll be holding hands again."

Both races are very hard to predict, particularly given the hot and humid conditions that are bound to play their part.

Cavendish is confident the British team has done all it can, saying: "We're in a really good place. The athletes are really happy and calm.

"We've spent the best part of five years prepping for these conditions. It's definitely going to be a factor, and I think there will be athletes who will overperform because they cope well with the heat and perhaps some favourites who underperform because they don't cope so well with the heat."

body check tags ::

amp_article__456762 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2021-07-24 14:42:54:
html db last update - 2021-07-24 14:32:56 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html

Click here for more stories about Jonny Brownlee

Share this article now:
AB
Read Next:
Alistair Brownlee admits Olympic hopes are finished
>


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Read more about Jonny Brownlee Jess Learmonth Vicky Holland Alex Yee Alistair Brownlee Triathlon
Follow @SportsMole for the latest breaking news stories, and follow @sm_headlines to get every headline from Sports Mole
Recommended Next on SM
Alistair Brownlee admits Olympic hopes are finished
Man City close gap to Arsenal with statement four-goal win over Brighton
Best Football Betting sites in the UK for April 2024: Where can you place your bets?

Page options

Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal34245582265677
2Manchester CityMan City33237380324876
3Liverpool34228475344174
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd33165125150153
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331551369541550
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea32138116157447
10Bournemouth34129134960-1145
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton331111115254-244
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves34127154654-843
13Fulham34126165054-442
14Crystal Palace34109154456-1239
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton34118153648-1233
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3437243392-5916
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

history www

This weekend's permutations: Who can be crowned champions, win promotion or suffer relegation?

1

TW

"I am happy" - Arsenal target reacts to transfer rumours

2

&A

Frank gives Toney, Hickey update ahead of Everton clash

3

FG

Chelsea handed major fitness boost ahead of Aston Villa clash

4

CH

Chelsea confirm length of Fernandez injury absence amid reports season is over

5

CC

Where should Chelsea use Palmer against Aston Villa?

6

WS

Preview: Man Utd vs. Burnley - prediction, team news, lineups

7

PM

Arsenal 'considering alternative midfield signings amid concerns over number one target'

8

A'

"I am confident" - Arne Slot confirms desire to take Liverpool job

9

&A

Preview: Blackburn vs. Coventry - prediction, team news, lineups

10

PB


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .