Brown described the performances of the GE Great Britain Triathlon Team in Beijing – where Alistair Brownlee took gold, one place ahead of his brother Jonathan, Helen Jenkins won the women's overall event and Matt Sharp led a British clean sweep in the under 23 competition -  as "inspiring".

Speaking at the conclusion of Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series, Brown said: "We have three world champions with Matt Sharp in the under-23 and the two seniors. It's exactly the sort of position you'd want to be in going into an Olympic year.

"Based on the performances this season, we know that on a given day, certain athletes have got a really good chance of achieving their ambition in the Olympic Games."

Brown, who has been in post since June, added: "The champions stand out, and there have been many outstanding individual performances.

"Everyone who competes for Great Britain in a major event such as this is a tough competitor; even those who were disappointed have given it everything.

"It's not just the athletes who win who are inspiring, it's everybody.

"Even those who have had a bad day have flogged themselves for every position.

"It's been an uplifting experience."

Brown had particular praise for the coaching and support staff that helped Alistair Brownlee, in particular, win the world title.


His training between the previous round of the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series in Lausanne and the Grand Final was badly affected by illness.

"I am so impressed with Ben [Bright, coach] and Emma [Deacon, physio] and his training partners from the camp in Jeju," Brown added.

"He went out not a well individual, but they all arrived at the hotel complex relaxed and happy.

"It was like a breath of fresh air when they arrived.

"They did a great job with him in Korea."

And there was praise for both the Brownlee brothers from the Lord Mayor of their home city of Leeds.

Councillor Reverend Alan Taylor said: "Congratulations to Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee for their superb achievements this year.

"To have two brothers ranked first and second in the world in such a gruelling sport is amazing and Alistair becoming world champion for the second time is fantastic.

"They are wonderful ambassadors for Leeds and Yorkshire, and the whole city is very proud of them as we look forward with huge excitement to seeing them compete at the London 2012 Olympic Games."

Looking forward to 2012, Brown suggests that rest and recovery will be the perfect platform for next year.

"It's really important that people enjoy what they have achieved and absolutely forget about training and competition for two to three weeks, because the next nine months are going to be so intense and difficult for them," he said.

"They can only sustain the level of training and competition that will be needed for a limited period.

"Three athletes have confirmed, in the eyes of the Olympic Performance Group, that they have the credentials to be nominated for Olympic selection, and the Olympics are most certainly our focus moving on from here."


Britain's three new world champions will now follow slightly different paths as the season draws to a close, including some unfinished business for Jenkins in Japan.

Half of the team will return home this week, whilst the rest, numbering 11 and including Jenkins, will head for the first round of the 2012 Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series in Yokohama next Monday (September 19), an event that was postponed following the Japanese earthquake.

Points won there will count towards the 2012 world title, which will not be settled until the end of October at the Series Grand Final in Auckland.

Jenkins had planned to race this event when it was originally scheduled for April, and will again face Andrea Hewitt, the New Zealander who beat her in the Grand Final race.

The rest of the GE Great Britain Team will return to Britain, with Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee set to race the conclusion of the French Grand Prix in La Baule this weekend and then holiday together immediately afterwards.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
September 2011: Double joy for Britain as Jenkins clinches world title
September 2011: Brownlee lifts second world title to cement place as London 2012 favourite
September 2011: Sharp leads British clean sweep at under-23 World Championships