Two-time Olympic gold medallist Alistair Brownlee has invariably ended up on the winning side of battles with his younger brother, Jonny, and it could be a similar story when they go head-to-head at the Commonwealth Games. The men's triathlon event takes centre stage on the Gold Coast of Australia on Thursday morning and there is the mouth-watering prospect of the two family members fighting it out in a sprint finish...
The Event
The men's triathlon takes place at 4.01am (UK time) at The Southport Broadwater venue on Thursday and reigning champion Alistair Brownlee will defend his title in a sprint-distance race, with a 750m swim taking place in choppy waters before a technical four-lap bike course (20km) and then a final 5km run.
The shorter distance wouldn't seem to be ideal for the older Brownlee as Alistair switched his focus to longer distance events in 2017 before his season was curtailed by injury. The 29-year-old returned to win the Dubai 70.3 in February of this year and he then skipped the World Triathlon Series event in Abu Dhabi to nurse a calf injury.
Brownlee's experience, allied with his undoubted class, ensures he is the man to beat in this field though and he should have no trouble in switching his attention back to shorter distances. Having won back-to-back Olympic gold medals at London 2012 and Rio 2016, Brownlee will now bid to do a Commonwealth Games 'double' after landing the individual gold in Glasgow four years ago.
The younger Brownlee, Jonny, will be looking to step out of the shadow of his brother after taking bronze at London in 2012, prior to silver medal efforts in Glasgow and Rio. The 27-year-old didn't hit the heights without his brother during the WTS in 2017, picking up just one win in Stockholm, and he recently admitted that his subsequent winter training hadn't gone to plan. A crash in his first start of 2018 in Abu Dhabi wasn't a great start to the year but he did at least get back on the bike to complete the race and he will be desperate to pick up another medal in a major championship.
Tom Bishop is the third member of a strong English team and the 26-year-old is looking to build on a breakthrough 2017 campaign that included a runner-up finish behind Javier Gomez in Abu Dhabi.
Commonwealth Games - Women's Triathlon Preview.
The Best Of The Rest
A couple of South Africans will be a major threat to the Brownlee's monopoly as Richard Murray, who was fourth at the Rio Olympics, has started the 2018 season in fine style, winning the Cape Town and Mooloolaba World Cup events. The 29-year-old was third, behind the Brownlee 1-2 pairing, at the Commonwealth Games in 2014, and he is joined in this week's field by his fellow countryman, Henri Schoeman, who made a welcome return to form by winning the sprint distance WTS event in Abu Dhabi.
Australia's Jacob Birtwhistle finished fifth in difficult conditions in Abu Dhabi and the 23-year-old is an up-and-coming force. Two runner-up finishes on the WTS last year showed what he is capable of and he could be in medal contention if his swim goes well on Thursday, with Birtwhistle very much one to keep an eye on during the run leg.
Predictions
1st: Alistair Brownlee. 2nd: Richard Murray. 3rd: Jacob Birtwhistle.
