A triathlon in London “just feels right”, says Alistair Brownlee, and he should know. The sport’s only double Olympic champion won gold on home soil in 2012 and it remains his fondest memory as an athlete.
It also continued a proud tradition of British excellence in the swim-bike-run event forged by the likes of Tim Don, Chrissie Wellington and Simon Lessing and since continued by Beth Potter and London’s own Alex Yee.
This weekend triathlon returns to the capital for the fourth leg of the T100 Triathlon World Tour, a chance for the public to watch a sport in which Britain can claim to be not only pioneers but also a leading nation in the modern day.
“Absolutely – pre this era, and looking forward in the short distance and the long distance… We’ve got some real top triathlon talent, which is amazing to see,” Brownlee tells City A.M.
“We love big sporting events, we’re great at supporting them. Many of my best memories of racing – the atmospheres and crowds – have been in London.
“It’s impossible to see past that day in 2012 at the Olympics. It’s a long time ago now, but a very, very special day in front of the biggest crowd, definitely, that I’ve ever raced in front of.
“I’m pretty sure you can claim it as the biggest crowd that’s ever watched a triathlon.”
Brownlee, who also won gold at Rio 2016, is no longer part of the Olympic team, focusing instead on the longer-distance races on the T100 Tour.
He admits he is disappointed by results in the first three races, which have left him 11th in the standings, but is over an ankle injury and has high hopes for London.
“I’m in a good place. I get reminders these days at 36 I’ll never be fully over injuries — I’d love to wake up, jump out of bed and feel like spring chicken — but everything’s relative,” he says.
“It’s been weird actually. I think that’s one of the things — finding that consistency in terms of how your body reacts and being older and trying to work that out is a challenge.
“Two races in Miami and Singapore that were really crazy, extreme conditions. It could be warm in London, but we’re not going to see anything to that magnitude.
“As well, it’s great that it’s just a drive away, rather than getting on an intercontinental flight and having to train somewhere else specifically for the conditions.
“Being a Brit on the podium in one of the races, it’s very exciting. I think people should come down to watch and support the British people, and just have a great day out.”
Brownlee would concede he is in the autumn of a glittering career but that hasn’t dampened a competitive fire that has brought him eight world and European titles and Commonwealth gold.
“The T100 is a big one at the moment,” he says of his remaining goals. “To have a world title in long distance triathlon across the series is really exciting. And I’d like to be competitive at that.”
Most of Team GB’s heroes from London 2012 have retired, with Andy Murray set to be next after one last hurrah in Paris, and Brownlee says he won’t race into his forties.
“Sport is tough. It’s competitive, brutal and you can go in and out of it cyclically. And when you’re done with it, you know you’re done,” he adds.
“I think that’s one of the best things about it, that kind of meritocracy — and obviously one of the harshest things about it as well. I wouldn’t swap anything for what I’ve been able to do.
“I haven’t got a fixed date in my mind, more an idea that when I retire I can stay active, keep doing competitive things just for fun. I don’t want to have so many injuries I’m not able to do that.”
Brownlee is relishing the T100 calendar, which has expanded to eight races this year. Although he is no longer on the athlete committee, he played a formative role in honing the tour concept.
“I had a very small role in it but it’s been fantastic to be involved in the setting up of, I guess, a new sport, which is what it was at the start,” he says.
“I’ve really enjoyed all the involvement I’ve had in the administration side of sport, that ignited a passion and I’ve gone on to do more in the IOC [Olympic] realm that I enjoy as well.
“Fundamentally I couldn’t believe more strongly the importance of sport in society. I’ve started thinking about what I want to do more post-sport and that’s a big part of it.”
Brownlee won Olympic gold in the men’s triathlon at London 2012 and retained his title four years later in Rio
Brownlee achieved fame beyond triathlon in 2016 when he sacrificed a win to help his brother Johnny over the line after a race in Mexico left him close to collapse.
The T100 Tour is bowie enjoying its own viral moments, like the frantic finish to the men’s race in San Francisco in which New Zealand’s Kyle Smith vomited after crossing the line.
“I think the magic of sport is that we don’t know what we need, and we can’t engineer what we think we need. I think that’s the point of it, isn’t it?” he says.
“Where so much in the world is controllable, and you can watch it and engage with it how you want, when you want and what format you want, sport isn’t really like that.
“It’s not controllable. It’s not predictable. You want to engage with it live and see the action live. That’s the beauty of it.
“So when you see a moment that engages people outside the normal sphere — I saw that very acutely with the moment carrying Johnny to a ridiculous extent — that’s the value in it.
“It’s just a raw natural thing that isn’t stage controlled in any way.”