If the mud, cold and drizzle engulfing Hyde Park suggested that autumn is upon us, the Triathlon World Championship Grand Final in Hyde Park proved that the summer glow of sporting success is still burning brightly in Britain.

After two weeks in the political whirlwind that was the International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in Buenos Aires it was nice to return to competitive sport. No clever speeches, ambiguous voting systems and back door coalitions but just the pure physical challenge of three formidably testing disciplines.

With every race a battle to push these limits further no-one does sport more purely than the Brownlee brothers. The only way to beat them is to swim, ride and run faster than them and that does not happen very often.

Javier Gomez's world title winning victory over Jonny and - an albeit injury ravaged - Alistair was therefore all the more compelling and amazing. Yet, with Non Stanford's wonderful victory the day before, there were still plenty of reasons for home celebration.

Triathlon enthusiasts, sports fans and a sizeable international contingent gathered together to cheer on their heroes on every yard of the course. Alongside this elite race, there were also age group and Paratriathlon races as well as a mass participation event open to anyone.
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The race took in British landmarks and combined the history of London with the vibrancy of a sporting atmosphere




It takes a certain sort of person to let themselves in for such a gruelling test but more and more people are doing exactly that and, like cycling, the sport is progressing rapidly at all levels.

This is something which has not been missed by one of the key men responsible for this weekend and last month's RideLondon Cycling Grand Prix in Iain Edmondson.

Edmondson, Head of Major Events at the cities promotional organisation London & Partners, is a former university rower who speaks clad in his tracksuit just half-an-hour before entering the Serpantine to take on a second sporting quest after he successfully completed the 100 mile cycle around London and Surrey.

After being in Sydney to watch Steve Redgrave win his fifth Olympic gold medal in 2000, he realised that if he could not compete in a Games he would become involved in some other way.

He promptly formed part of the bid team for London 2012 and now has an integral role in the legacy project.

With the national anthem hailing Stanford's victory reverberating in the background as if to prove the truth of his words, he sees both the cycling and triathlon events as beneficial in various different ways.

"Legacy from the Games means a number of things but from my major events perspective there are three strands: economic benefits, sporting opportunity and international integration," he told insidethegames.

"There are delivery costs but these are more than offset. Research suggests each participant brings two extra people to spectate and if they come from outside London this brings a massive amount of expenditure to the city and is very good for the economy."

He added how there are also broadcasting costs as well as money raised through charities and as the events become more established this should increase further.

Paratriathlon events once again formed a major part of an Olympic legacy event with Great Britain's Charlotte Ellis one of the stars competing


After organising an annual event for five years the Triathlon Grand Final included 4,000 international participants across five days of racing and is consequently "a big step up and the biggest event in the sport."

Feedback will follow but surveys conducted at the RideLondon cycling found that 83 per cent considered the event excellent and 99 per cent would recommend it to others. As Edmondson said "we now have the statistics to prove the feedback", and with 80,000 signing up for next year's event within four weeks of the ballot opening, people are "clearly voting with their feet."

Many more events are on the horizon including the Rugby World Cup - with three London venues - in 2015, the European Swimming Championships in 2016 and the World Athletics Championships in 2017.

Bids have also been launched for events in hockey and cycling.

London & Partners' work goes beyond simply events however. It includes a monthly "Be Inspired" newsletter which reaches a network of five million people as well as the mobilisation of an ever expanding volunteer network which has been lauded as one of the major hallmarks of London's success.

Edmondson refuses to admit that the capital has received a disproportionate amount of this benefit. London is the only British city, he argues, with the necessary infrastructure and reputation to permit many major events.

Some events however, such as the next year's Glasgow Commonwealth Games, are held elsewhere and there is alot of coordination between different cities. It is also hard to dispute his point that the influx of international visitors will bring revenue for other local areas and thus London is "the gateway to the rest of the country."

Another interesting point raised is the genuinely pivotal role played by the Mayor of London Boris Johnson. "Of course Boris understands the political benefit," says Edmondson.

"But I had a 15 minute meeting with him in 2011 about RideLondon and he said, 'Why aren't we doing this already?'

"He's very enthusiastic and put his money where his mouth is by participating and he did the whole 100 miles in eight hours to show that if he can do it, anyone can."

Whether participating in the RideLondon 100 mile race or commuting to work Mayor Boris Johnson's enthusiasm has certainly boosted London's legacy project




As I hear these confident words and witness yet more sporting success it is hard to dispute that, contrary to many reports, the legacy of both the Mayor and the Olympics and Paralympics is indeed a positive one.

Yes, the sporting curriculum at schools remains questionable and the high levels of facilities are not replicated everywhere.

But as Edmondson argues participation and enthusiasm levels are thriving and there is a clear economic benefit in London and beyond.

As for elite level success the drama of this weekend showed there are no worries there. Jonny Brownlee's sprint-finish defeat was replicated by similar ones for Mo Farah at the Great North Run and for Mark Cavendish at the Tour of Britain.

David Florence pictured here celebrating with partner Richard Hounslow after winning the second of his gold medals in the C1 and C2 classes this weekend, has become another British star 


But this was offset by Stanford's victory as well as David Florence becoming the first ever slalom canoeist to win two world titles in the same event in Prague.

There is certainly nothing to be concerned about and with Stanford Welsh and Florence Scottish the success has a distinctly British tinge.

London's legacy is indeed proving a "gateway for the whole of the UK" and, as the chill of autumn gives way to the freeze of winter, more success will surely follow.. 

Nick Butler is a reporter for insidethegames