Brownlee bros steal the show
London, September 20
Alistair and Jonny Brownlee were brothers in arms at a dramatic finale of the World Triathlon Series as double Olympics champion Alistair hauled an exhausted Jonny over the line in a desperate bid to help his younger brother secure the title.
Jonny, silver medallist in Rio, collapsed having finished second but Spaniard Mario Mola’s fifth-placed finish in the final race of the series in the Cozumel, Mexico, was enough for the Spaniard to top the overall standings and secure his first ITU World Championship title, four points ahead of Briton Jonny.
Heading into the final race of the season, victory would have handed Jonny the world title and with just under a kilometre to go of the run, victory was firmly in his grasp as he led by 50 metres.
But dazed by the heat and reeling from exhaustion, the Rio Olympics silver medallist began to wander across the road, allowing South Africa’s Henri Shoeman to overtake him in the final stretch of the 10km run to win on the day.
Alistair, who was running in third place, caught hold of his disoriented brother, wrapping an arm around his shoulder to take his weight over the final few metres, before pushing Jonny over the finish line ahead of himself. “I wish the flipping idiot had paced it right and crossed the finish line first,” Alistair said. “He could have jogged that last two kilometres and won.” — Reuters
