Alistair Brownlee’s grin was wider than the Strathclyde Park loch he had emerged from minutes earlier. The race was won long before he jogged down the home stretch ahead of his brother, Jonny, and soon he was draped in the flags of both England and Yorkshire, a fitting way to end an emphatic effort that reaffirms his status as one of the finest British athletes of the modern era.
“I might as well retire” was the early retort from Brownlee as he paused for a well-earned breather after high-fiving the waiting spectators who greeted his performance of 1hr 48min 50sec with the applause it deserved. This victory, secured in the sweltering Scottish heat, means Brownlee has titles at the Commonwealth Games, the Olympics, the Europeans and the world championships – a full house of successes that surpasses all expectations he ever had when starting out in the sport.
“I’ve won the world title, I’ve won the Olympic title and now I’ve completed the set with the Commonwealth title as well,” said Brownlee, guzzling an Irn Bru. “It’s the big three things in Olympic-distance triathlon. It’s perfect and far more than I ever could have dreamed of, really. This was the goal I wanted to achieve for the season and I’ve done it now.”
He might have been the favourite but the elder of the Brownlee brothers has become used to that tag in recent years. Even with a knee injury that curtailed his 2013 season and a frustrating series of ailments that stilted progress this year, the 26-year-old returned to the world stage with a win that never seemed in doubt.
It was clear early on in this test of endurance that an Englishman would prevail. The Brownlees led from the off and left the water accompanied by a lone Scot, Marc Austin staying with them for the duration of the swim and the majority of the 40k ride, raising home hopes with a gutsy display that endeared him to spectators across the course.
Austin, 20, eventually faded with one lap on the bike remaining, reined in by the chasing pack and finishing 22nd despite his valiant effort. It was South Africa’s Richard Murray who took the bronze medal but he was still running as the Brownlees embraced at the close, after another dominant display by the siblings who are set to run in the team race together on Saturday.
“I really enjoyed it,” said Alistair. “Jonny was brilliant – we had Marc Austin for company for most of the bike. He was working pretty hard and I think he’s one for the future. He did well today and he’s probably one of the only British athletes for years who swam and biked all the way with me and Jonny. Good on him.
“My family and most of Yorkshire were out there, I think. Again, there’s more Yorkshire flags than any nation – that’s fantastic.”
Jonny, 24, who finished 11 seconds after his brother, added: “Hopefully my time will come, he’s getting a little bit older and a little bit greyer.”
Both praised the course on an afternoon that produced drama throughout the field. Alistair Brownlee kicked on to victory shortly after leaving his bike but every competitor enjoyed rapturous applause throughout.
It was the Scottish athletes who, as expected, received the greatest adulation and Austin, along with his compatriots David McNamee and Grant Sheldon, were warmly greeted as they passed in front of the spectators seated by the transition zone. The noise echoed around all corners of the loch, where fans had positioned themselves on grassy knolls and by big screens along the latter stages, and even the swans moved aside for the beginning of the race.
McNamee was roared home in seventh place but the gulf in class between the top and bottom of the field was evident from the beginning of the race. As the elite fought their way through the customary flurry of feet and fists there were some contestants who were way behind, yet it was the trailing few who received the most poignant support.
Bob Gabourel from Belize was one of those. Simply referred to by the man on the microphone as “Bob from Belize”, Gabourel fought his way around two circuits of the loch as the threat of being lapped loomed.
Gabourel often trains at his local airstrip – early in the morning, when no planes are due to use it – and the announcer incited further support for the underdog by declaring: “It may be hot for us today but for a lot of these guys it’s pure Baltic.”
He leapt back into the water for his second lap but was not allowed to finish the race by officials. Neither were Kenya’s Vincent Ochieng Onyango or Papua New Guinea’s Polihau Popeliau.
Yet it was to be Alistair Brownlee’s day and in the end an English one-two that completed the nation’s day of domination in the triathlon. “That’s all I wanted to do really, so I don’t know what I’m going to do now,” said Brownlee the elder. “Hopefully I can go out at the top in another four years.”
