Brownlee brothers secure double

by UK Sport - 07.08.12

The Brownlee brothers have sensationally secured a double medal win for Team GB this morning at Hyde Park.

Alistair Brownlee powered his way around the many cornered circuit to secure the gold medal for Team GB in the men’s triathlon race. Back-to-back ETU European Triathlon champion and a two time Triathlon World Champion, Alistair is now the first Briton to ever win an Olympic medal in this race. Younger brother Jonathan secured the bronze medal despite incurring a 15 second penalty.

Alistair has phenomenally battled back from a tear to his Achilles earlier this year, just 5 months out from the Games. English Institute of Sport (EIS) Senior Physiotherapist (Triathlon) Emma Deakin worked closely with Alistair, his coach and support team to devise a bespoke training programme which would aid his recovery and get him back to fitness as safely and quickly as possible.

Due to the volume and intensity of training sessions in triathlon, the recovery rule book had to be thrown out and replaced by innovative solutions including an underwater treadmill installed in Brownlee’s garden to help him return to running. Returning back from the injury Alistair enjoyed a joint victory in his first race back with brother Jonny at the Blenheim Triathlon in June 2012 and then qualified for the Olympic team.

The Yorkshire boys are among the best triathletes in the world and, thanks to the National lottery, have been supported by UK Sport funding on their journey to London 2012.

British Triathlon, which has received over £5.2million of UK Sport funding, have been working hard since Beijing to ensure that these brothers were in the best possible condition for the games. Along with this funding, British Triathlon has also benefited from a range of UK Sport support services to try and give athletes the edge at London 2012. UK Sport’s Research and Innovation (R&I) team have worked with British Triathlon to help evaluate athlete positioning and equipment selection in partnership with British Cycling.

Following a successful bid from British Triathlon and UK Sport, The ITU World Championship Grand Final will also be held in London for the first time in 2013, with the support of UK Sport, the Mayor of London through London & Partners, the Royal Parks and DCMS and hopefully Alistair and Jonathan can continue their success here.

The EIS has worked with British Triathlon since 2002 and predominantly delivers support to athletes at the Loughborough and Leeds University bases as well as other bases.

The EIS are part of British Triathlon’s support team and are integrated within the programme, often travelling away to training camps and competitions as part of their roles.

To find out more view our Triathlon Olympic support profile

Photography © Getty Images