The World Triathlon Series reaches what promises to be a dramatic conclusion with the Grand Final in Rotterdam on Saturday afternoon and Jonny Brownlee is hoping to make headlines for the right reasons, twelve months on from his wobbly-legged finish to the previous finale in Cozumel, Mexico.
The worrying sight of the British star imitating a drunk Mr Bean before being helped across the line by his older brother, Alistair, in the final WTS race of the 2016 season remains an iconic sporting image but it should not be forgotten that his silver medal finish ultimately saw Mario Mola pip him to the title of World Champion by the meagre margin of four points.
Speaking to The Sportsman ahead of Saturday's race, Jonny reveals, "I couldn't remember anything at the time but it was memorable after because it changed a lot of my life and I was more recognised for a while."
Brownlee can reflect on the positives now. "It took triathlon out of sport into other areas and while it is not the way I want to be remembered in my sporting career, I've come to accept that it was good for the sport and good to get more recognition for the World Series, although hopefully it doesn't happen again." The incident certainly propelled triathlon onto the front and back pages of newspapers around the world but Brownlee would rather his upcoming Grand Final appearance is iconic for a gold medal-winning performance than anything else.
"I want to be remembered for my victories and performances rather than Cozumel."
Victory in the Netherlands would be a fitting way to end a topsy-turvy 2017 WTS season that has been a slow-burner for the Olympic silver medalist, who made his return from Cozumel with a crash in Yokohama which resulted in him carrying his mangled steed for the final part of the bike leg, prior to a near-miss in Leeds where he took silver before successive fourth place finishes in Montreal and Edmonton respectively.
Stockholm - A Happy Hunting Ground
Brownlee then burst into life at his favoured Stockholm course as he sealed a win that clearly meant a lot, with the 27-year-old now boasting a proud record of three wins, one silver and one bronze from his past five visits to the Swedish capital.
"Stockholm was one of my most emotional victories because there was a lot of relief and there was a feeling that 'wow, I can get back to my best'," said the 2012 World Champion. "What I have realised this year is how much an Olympic year and the four-year cycle towards that takes out of you. And it does change your life winning an Olympic medal so I didn't fully appreciate how much that can have a draining effect but I've also learned different ways of training and getting fit this season too."
Brownlee was then forced to sit out of the recent British Triathlon Mixed Relay Cup as he was laid up in bed with illness only four days after his Stockholm win, which he admits rather sums up his season, but he is fit and raring to go in Rotterdam where conditions could play into the hands of the British contingent.
This Could Be Rotterdam Or.... Yorkshire?
With rain lashing the cobbled pavements and temperatures barely raising their head above fifteen degrees Celcius in Rotterdam, Brownlee couldn't be much further removed from the sweltering heat of Cozumel and they are conditions that the man from Leeds should relish.
"Hopefully, it's a course that suits. The river is very choppy which makes the swim hard, it suits an all-round triathlete who can swim, bike and run."
Following a very soggy reconnaissance ride of the course in Rotterdam on Thursday afternoon, Brownlee told The Sportsman, "the bike leg is hard because you have to be good technically, as well as strong, and the weather is very similar to Yorkshire, which makes it very different to last year."
Barring something truly remarkable happening in the Netherlands, Brownlee cannot become world champion for a second time this year as he trails WTS leader, Mario Mola, by 895 points and, even with 1,200 points going to the winner on Saturday, it would take a monumental turnaround for the Brit to secure the title.
"Well for me it is very different [compared to twelve months ago] because I'm not in contention to win the World Series so I won't be going round doing maths in my head or anything like that, I'll just be treating it as a one-day World Championship. My training has gone reasonably well this year, although obviously I have had my ups and downs, but I have managed to get myself into some decent shape and I'm looking forward to hopefully challenging to win."
It has been a tough year but Brownlee remains philosophical - "you learn more from your failures than your successes sometimes" - and it is testament to the character of this superb triathlete that he is in contention to enhance a fine record that has seen him finish in the top-three of the final WTS standings in five of the previous six years.
A victory on Saturday could go some way to enhancing that impressive record and also help ensure that the headlines are about redemption in Rotterdam rather than a Cozumel collapse.
