WHO WILL GO to THE TOKYO OLYMPICS: ALISTAIR BROWNLEE or ALEX YEE?
The question on everyone’s lips is who will get the last Team GB men’s spot for the Toyko Olympics?
The picture will become clearer after the World Triathlon Championship Series race in Leeds on June 5-6, when two-time gold medalist Alistair Brownlee makes his final effort to grab that elusive Olympic spot on his home turf against the young pretender Alex Yee.
The second part to the question is whether Team Great Britain can qualify three men and who will get that third spot if they do?
The Brownlee dynasty have dominated the landscape of British and World Triathlon for so long that they have almost became a fixture. As one half of the famous “Brownlee Brothers”, Alistair has lived and trained with his younger sibling Jonny for much of his life. Between them they hold four Olympic medals spanning the full spectrum of colours (two gold medals for Alistair, one bronze and one silver for Jonny).
The Olympics is a big stage for big players who enjoy pressure, take the responsibility and embrace the biggest event on the worlds sporting calendar. It’s why only the greatest win the gold medal and who better to emulate that greatness than two-time gold medialist Alistair Brownlee. Andy Salmon, CEO at British Triathlon, said “Alistair is one of those athletes where it would take a brave person to predict what Alistair is going to do or isn’t going to do”.
Nonetheless, all that may be about to change as only Alistar’s brother Jonny has bagged one of the two spots in the GB’s men’s selection and if Alistair does not perform up to podium standard at Leeds, then Alex Yee is in great shape to step up to the plate as only one of two Brits (Jonny Brownlee the other) who are in the top 30 Olympic rankings. Alex will be going into the Leeds race full confidence coming off the back of his 4th place at the Yokohama World Triathlon Champions Series a few weeks ago.
Not totally out of the picture is Tom Bishop who at 35th in the Olympic rankings will be making a concerted effort to make the podium at Leeds to gain the points to make him a serious contender for an Olympic place. If Tom can run the race of his lifetime at Leeds there is one last opportunity for Bishop to make an 11th hour bid, a week later, in the World Triathlon Cup in Huatulco, Mexico.
Listen to Tom Bishop talk to the TriNation Podcast Crew about his career and chasing an Olympic spot
Now for the second part of the question as to whether Team Great Britain can qualify three men and who will get that third spot if they do?
Post Yokohama, Team USA was the only country to qualify three men to Toyko, now France have joined them as the qualification period does not end until June 14th, so there is still all to play for. We will have a better indication of who will make the final cut when Alistair Brownlee makes his last ditch effort to seize that elusive Olympic spot from the young starlet Alex Yee, at the World Triathlon Championship Series race in Leeds on June 5-6.
As a comparison, Team USA currently have 3 men currently ranked in the top 30 in the Olympic ranking which, at this moment in time, would give them three spots for the men’s race in Tokyo, whereas, Team GB only have two. Team USA have Morgan Pearson (ranked 16th), Matt McElroy (ranked 19th), and Eli Hemming (ranked 28th). Morgan Pearson is the only one who been has selected to race in Tokyo after meeting the selection criteria following his podium success at Yokohama. The final two (or one) spots will between McElroy, Hemming and rank outsider American Kevin McDowell (ranked 36th)
Listen to Morgan Pearson chat to the TriNation Podcast Crew about Yokohama and Olympic selection
The two British men in the top 30 in the Olympic rankings are: Jonny Brownlee ranked 9th following his success in Sardina and Alex Yee ranked 21st after his fourth place at Yokohama with Tom Bishop an outside contender ranked 35th. Tom Bishop will make a concerted effort at Leeds to make podium to get him closer to a top 30 ranking and earn that third male spot for Team GB.
Now here is the conundrum. Bearing in mind there are some big names in the Leeds race who will also be vying for their own national Olympic spot, does Alistair attempt to go for all out victory over Alex Yee, to hone in on the ‘Selectors Radar’ echoing loud and clear that he is the man for the job. Or does he work as Tom Bishops domestique in an attempt to gain that 3rd Olympic spot which may well be allocated to Alistair and not Tom Bishop. Like Team USA, qualification is not automatically based on reaching a top 30 ranking the decision is made by the British Triathlon Selection Committee based on athletes results in other races, the race in Leeds, and also on training data.
It’s hard to imagine Alistair would play second fiddle in Leeds as a fully fit and firing Alistair Brownlee would easily be in with a shot for selection if he can produce the form he showed last November in Valencia when he came the closest of anyone in beating World Champion Vincent Luis, who was invincible in 2020.
Will racing on his home turf of Leeds be Alistair’s swansong, to do something he is famous for – winning! in his attempt to increase his legendary medal haul at the Tokyo Olympics. The answer will be worth waiting for.
