Jonny Brownlee has given a fascinating insight into the resilience of his older brother Alistair, who has just announced his retirement from elite triathlon.
Brownlee senior changed the face of short-course triathlon, not just in the UK but on the world stage too – his successive individual Olympic gold medals is still unprecedented and his aggressive style of racing took no prisoners.
Jonny of course played an integral role himself – he has gold, silver and bronze Olympic medals and, like Alistair, is a former world champion.
‘We used to get asked where we kept our horse’
Penning a touching tribute to Alistair, he said on Instagram: “When we started the sport of triathlon, few people in the UK knew what triathlon was. We used to get asked where we kept our horse. 20 years later, we have a different sport.
“London 2012 changed this. There will never be another triathlete who had to deal with the pressure that Al had on that day. For months before he was reminded that he had to bring a medal back to Yorkshire. He delivered with the greatest triathlon performance of all time.
“That day in London changed the sport forever. But his journey to that point had more impact on me. I wouldn’t have been close to the athlete I am today without him. He came up with his own training model despite being told he would burn out. He showed me how much the human body can take and, more importantly, to keep it fun.”
Relentless and resilient
Alistair has endured more than his fair share of injuries during his career but each time was able to overcome them.
Even this year the 36-year-old managed to sign off his career with a podium place in the T100 Grand Final despite his training being massively compromised by injury and illness.
Jonny underlined that point, adding: “It has not always been easy, I have never seen anyone more resilient.
“After tearing his Achilles in early 2012, he spent a week digging a hole in the garden to lay the foundation for a pool to aid his rehab.
“He walked up Kilimanjaro in a surgical boot after having ankle surgery.
“He suffered through Rio with a painful hamstring. Training every day in pain.
“He bounced back from multiple injures and illnesses to podium in the T100 final.
“If you wanted to beat Al you had to be physically better than him because he would out suffer you.”
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