London 2012 gripped the globe, as the whole world witnessed a series of incredible sporting achievements by some of the planet’s greatest athletes. Millions of viewers watched in awe as Alistair Brownlee surged to victory in the men’s triathlon, embracing the crowds as he walked across the finish line triumphantly holding the British flag.
His mesmerising success, in a race where he demonstrated sheer determination to pull ahead and hold off the challenge of, Spaniard Javier Gomez, was one of the many highlights of London 2012.
Indeed 2012 was an incredible year for Alistair, which he described as “short but very sweet,” before adding: “It was strange, I did have one goal for 2012 and that was the Olympics, and I achieved that which was fantastic, but also in terms of the season, it was a very short season, as I only did two races. So that was strange really, since you’re often used to doing up to ten.” Unusual it may have been, but it was undoubtedly successful, as Alistair triumphed on the greatest stage on earth to win Britain’s first ever Olympic medal in the triathlon, accompanied by his younger brother Jonathan who finished third, despite incurring a 15 second time penalty.
When I asked Alistair how it was to compete with and against Jonathan, 22, he replied: “It’s good, I think we’re used to it now. By now it’s just the kind of thing that we do. There’s the positive aspect of training together which is really important, and that’s beneficial for both of us.” Indeed the two brothers are at the pinnacle of the sport, and 2012 was a fabulous year for Jonathan as well, who added the 2012 World Triathlon Championship Series title to his Olympic bronze medal.
When you consider how much Alistair has already achieved in his short career, it is astonishing to think that he’s only 24. To win an Olympic gold, be two times World Triathlon Champion and back-to-back European Champion is an incredible feat. In addition to that the Dewsbury born lad, who lives in Leeds, was also awarded an MBE in the 2013 New Year’s Honours List for his services to triathlon. All of this at only 24; to be so successful by such a young age is beyond most people’s wildest dreams.
This success didn’t just magically occur, it is earned through hard work and dedication to the sport. Regarding his preparations for races Alistair told me: “We train all the time, we don’t prepare particularly for one race at a time. In a tough week’s training it might be 30-35 hours of training, and that’s made up of probably six and seven hours of swimming, between fifteen and eighteen hours of biking and about eight to eleven hours of running. It’s a lot, but it’s kind of what you know. It sounds stupid, but I’ve done a lot of it and I’m used to it.”
After the Olympics, in October, Alistair suffered with Appendicitis and had his appendix removed. On the topic he remarked: “It came completely out of the blue, and was quite nasty, but I’m fine now. By the time I’d had that and been on holiday and done a lot of commercial stuff, it was fantastic to get back to normal training and the normal routine.” It’s such commitment and passion which makes Alistair such an exceptional athlete, and only by putting in the long hours of training can he attain his successes on the global stage.
Triathlon is by no means the most high profile of sports, and when I enquired as to why Alistair took up triathlon he replied: “I’m not really sure to be honest, I get asked this so much, but basically I enjoyed swimming and my mum was a swimmer so she took me swimming. My dad was into running so I went to the running club, and I was swimming competitively and running in school and local competitions. Then when I was about nine years old I decided to give triathlon a go, it seemed something fun to do, and I had an uncle (Simon Hearnshaw) who did it so that probably led to it a little bit. It was just one of those things that I had a crack at and it went from there.”
After that it all developed from there for Alistair, and he added: “Competitively it started right there and then really. I didn’t just join a club since there were hardly any clubs in those days, especially not for youngsters, so it was just about entering an event. I entered an event in Nottingham when I was nine years old and that was it, I just did more and more from there.”
Indeed fifteen years ago when Alistair was first taking up triathlon, the sport was very much a minority one. When we talked about how his and his brother’s successes have helped to raise the profile of the sport he modestly said: “Hopefully it will have an effect. I think triathlon is only a minority sport, and four years ago I think it’d be fair to say that most people probably didn’t know what it was, and I believe that now most people do know about it, so that’s probably the biggest effect. If people know what it is, then it’s more likely that people are going to have a go at it, so that can only help the sport’s development.” Undoubtedly Alistair’s successes not only at London 2012, but also in the past years, have helped to boost the popularity of triathlon, and the 24-year-old will serve as an inspiration and role model for the next generation, who seek to follow in their footsteps.
Overall London 2012 was an enormous success, and when we talked about whether the Olympics served to ‘inspire a generation’, Alistair commented: “Yeah, I think it did. It’s everyone from kids to whomever. I’ve had youngsters and 70-year-olds come up to me in the streets and say its fantastic what you did and it was great to watch, thanks so much. That’s been one of the most brilliant things about it really, as I think it has inspired people whether it be to go out and do a race, cycle to work or enter a 10km run or anything. I think it has definitely had an effect.”
The magical moments of Alistair’s triathlon victory will live long in people’s memories, and his success will surely see more people pursue an interest in the sport. He advises prospective triathletes to “just give it a go.” He added: “It’s not a mad sport, for mad, eccentric people, anyone can give it a go.” Triathlon is clearly a physically testing event, and when I asked which of the three disciplines is the most challenging he replied: “Mentally the swimming is the hardest, just because it is very tough on the mind and quite mind numbing as you’re just swimming up and down all the time. I find running actually nice as it’s outside and quite inspiring so that’s what I really enjoy. So swimming is definitely toughest in the head. You tend to always win the race on the run, you can lose it on the swim and the bike. You can win it on the bike a bit as well, but the run is always the crucial point of the race.”
As well as being an incredible athlete, Alistair is an intelligent young man, who was offered a place at Girton College, Cambridge, to study Medicine in 2006. After eight weeks however he dropped out to concentrate on triathlon, and moved to study a sports sciences degree at Leeds, which was more suitable for his training. On the move he told me: “Looking back on it now, it’s easy to say that was the right decision. At the time it was obviously a very difficult decision, but I’m glad I made it now. It was really that it was just about making the decision that I wanted to do what I love doing which is sport and the triathlon, and I’m lucky enough that I did that and it paid off for me.”
2012 may have been an incredible year, but Alistair is now concentrating on 2013. Regarding his plans for 2013 he remarked: “Hopefully to carry on the success. Obviously the World Series is very important for me, so there’s that first and foremost, and then after that I’ve qualified for the Commonwealth Games next year which is great, because I’ve never competed in the Commonwealths before.”
Of course the long term goal is Rio 2016, and he added about the next Olympics: “I’m really excited about that. The Olympics is fantastic and that’s the big thing for me, so I’m definitely looking forward to Rio.” So great is his love for the sport that, for now nothing else really figures in his career plans. “Triathlon is my passion and I’ll enjoy some more of the Olympics, and I’m looking forward to a fairly long career hopefully.”
With the natural talent that he possesses and his evident love and dedication to the sport, a long and fruitful career will surely lie ahead, as Alistair goes in search of further medals to add to his ever-growing collection. Along with Jonathan, the ‘Brownlee Brothers’ could well dominate triathlon for years to come.