Alistair Brownlee is a late and unexpected bonus addition to the men’s field at this Sunday’s first ever PTO Canadian Open.
The double Olympic champion has endured a frustrating year so far – he was unwell when he finished fourth on his return to action at IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside in April following ankle surgery.
But all looked on course for the rescheduled IRONMAN World Championship at St George in May, only for him to be forced out by illness the day before.
The Yorkshireman had instigated the spectacularly successful Sub7Sub8 project but never got the chance to take on Kristian Blummenfelt in June because of a stress response in his hip.
If he wants to race at Kona when the 2022 IRONMAN World Championship returns there in October then he still needs to qualify – and after this weekend the only two options are IRONMAN Kalmar on 20 August and IRONMAN Mont-Tremblant the following day.
Top-class line-up
But in the meantime his presence in Edmonton adds further sparkle to a stellar field. He’ll be racing against Norwegian duo Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden, home favourite Lionel Sanders and a host of other big names from the top of the PTO rankings.
