Their rivalry took the sport to new levels but now both Alistair Brownlee and Javier Gómez have announced their retirements within the space of a couple of months.
Spanish superstar Gómez called time on his storied career in September, having won multiple world titles and enjoyed many epic encounters against Brownlee senior.
Alistair said at the time: “Congratulations on an amazing career, Javi. I’m grateful for the countless battles we had, you constantly pushed those you raced to be better.”
‘Aggressive, confident, unpredictable’
And now Gómez has returned the compliment following the news that double Olympic champion Brownlee’s last competitive race was his podium place at the T100 Grand Final last weekend.
Gómez famously split Alistair and Jonny Brownlee on the London 2012 podium and he wrote on his Instagram page alongside a photo of the two of them: “Today, the legend of @alistair.brownlee announced his retirement from professional triathlon. In my humble opinion, the best athlete to ever do this sport.
“We all know Alistair’s incredible achievements, but what truly makes him unique is the way he raced and how he changed this game. He was aggressive, confident, unpredictable.”
‘He pushed me to my limits’
Explaining just what made Brownlee so special, Gómez added: “At his peak, he was so good that he could win a race in the swim, bike or run. Making the races super hard from the beginning, attacking on the bike like there’s no tomorrow and still able to run a 29min flat (pre carbon plate shoes).
“I have great memories of my rivalry with him (and Jonny) for many years.
Great battles that definitely made me a better athlete as I had to upgrade my game in order to be competitive.
“He pushed me to my limits and, thanks to that, I reached my highest level in Olympic Distance racing.
“Thanks for all the battles, Alistair, thanks for your contribution to the sport we love and enjoy a very well deserved retirement.”
A brilliant and perfect summary of just how good Alistair Brownlee was in his pomp – from the man who was his biggest rival as the two helped each other reach new heights.
And it prompted a swift response from Alistair, who said: “Thanks man! Looking forward to a more relaxed bike ride together at some point.”
