20 year old Alistair Brownlee, the 2006 World Junior Triathlon Champion ran his way to third place at today’s Madrid BG Triathlon World Cup in Spain.
The youngster from Leeds held off the challenge of Tim Don in the closing stages to stand on the second world cup podium of his career. Don, the 2006 World Champion, finished strongly, coming across the line in fourth with Will Clarke in sixth.
All of the six British athletes made the front bike pack, however monsoon conditions whittled the number down to three as Olly Freeman and Andrew Johns retired from the race and Stuart Hayes was forced out having picked up two successive punctures.
Once on the run Spain’s Javier Gomez delighted home crowds by storming to victory whilst Brownlee battled with Russia’s Ivan Vasiliev for second. Brownlee, Don and Clarke met the British Triathlon Olympic Selection Criteria which required a top eight finish. The Federation have already qualified the maximum allocation of three slots for the starting pontoon in Beijing.
Earlier in the day Helen Tucker from Bridgend took second place behind Portugal’s Vanessa Fernandes with 18 year old Hollie Avil in fourth. Both athletes met the British Triathlon Olympic Games Selection Criteria.
Brownlee said on his bronze medal:
“I’m totally over the moon. I had a really bad start to the year with injury so when I hit the run today I just gave everything I had and surprisingly I felt easy and relaxed. To finish on the podium is a great result.”
Don said on fourth:
“The race was pretty crazy when the rain came pelting down; it was like being up Ben Nevis! My win at the Corus Elite Series race in Reading last weekend gave me a great platform to work off today and I felt good when I hit the run and just battled through as best I could. To come down the finish straight in fourth was a huge relief.”
Clarke said on sixth:
“I was just so relieved to cross the line in sixth and meet the selection criteria. This race had been on my mind since the start of the year so it’s a great feeling to have given everything and to have got the result I wanted.”
Madrid BG Triathlon World Cup men’s results:
1. Javier Gomez, Spain
2. Ivan Vasiliev, Russia
3. Alistair Brownlee, Great Britain
4. Tim Don, Great Britain
5. Christian Prochnow, Germany
6. Will Clarke, Great Britain
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DNF. Stuart Hayes, Great Britain
DNF. Andrew Johns, Great Britain
DNF. Olly Freeman, Great Britain
