Exhausted Brownlee sees winning run come to an end (From Wharfedale Observer)

Exhausted Brownlee sees winning run come to an end

9:37am Thursday 29th July 2010 in General

Alistair Brownlee’s winning run in triathlon's World Championship Series came to an end on a dramatic day in London which saw him overshadowed by his younger brother.

While Jonathan celebrated taking the silver medal, Alistair staggered over the finish line in tenth place looking clearly exhausted.

The 22-year-old from Horsforth was in the leading trio heading into the final stages of the run but, struggled in the closing stages and was taken to the medical tent after completing the race.

Heather Williams, performance director of British Triathlon, quickly allayed fears about Brownlee’s health, saying: “Alistair is fine but exhausted. There is no cause for concern.”

Until this setback Alistair had won all six World Championship Series races he had contested. This time victory went to Spain’s Javier Gomez with Jonathan Brownlee following him home to gain his first senior medal.

There was no sign of the drama to come when Alistair, last year’s Hyde Park champion, led the way out of the swim despite losing his goggles.

The finance student initially held a lead on the bike phase but settled back into a large group that contained his brother and all the main contenders.

A number of athletes attempted to break away but it was not until the final stages that a group of seven, including Britain’s Stuart Hayes, managed to get a gap.

They held a lead of more than 30 seconds going into the run but that was quickly cut by the Brownlee brothers, who raced to the front.

Gomez and Olympic champion Jan Frodeno were the only two who were able to stay with the pair, with the latter subsequently slipping backwards as it became a leading trio.

It was a familiar position for Alistair Brownlee and Gomez but this time it was the Spaniard, the winner in Hamburg last week, who made the decisive break.

Jonathan Brownlee hung on to take silver ahead of Frodeno before an ashen Alistair Brownlee wobbled down the finishing straight.