OLYMPIC PREVIEW HANDICAPPING THE FIELD


JAVIER GOMEZ, of Spain, and Great Britain’s


JONATHAN and ALISTAIR BROWNLEE are the top


contenders in the men’s race at the London Games. PHOTO BY DELLY CARR/ITU


C M Y INTERNATIONAL MEDAL THREATS


PLENTY OF FLAGS COULD RISE ABOVE THE REST IN LONDON BY COURTNEY BAIRD


There are three names in ITU triathlon that have dominated the sport in the past two years: Alistair Brownlee, Jonathan Brownlee and


Javier Gomez. One of these men has stood atop the podium at 16 of


the 22 World Triathlon Series races where at least one of them has participated — that’s 72 percent. And no athlete has been more transcendent than


Alistair, who has won all but four of the 15 World Triathlon Series races he has started. “The Brownlee brothers are changing the sport, [and]


Javier Gomez,” said four-time Olympian Hunter Kemper, who was ranked No. 1 in the world in 2005.


56 USA TRIATHLON SUMMER 2012 What makes the Brownlees and Gomez so diffi cult to


beat is they lack weaknesses: they can swim with the best and often lead the fi eld into T1, they ride hard at the front, and they can run a 29:30 10k after hammering the bike. In a sense, they don’t have to worry about whether the


event becomes a runner’s race, as they can beat anyone in the fi eld in an open 10k, or whether it’s won with a breakaway and a hard bike, as they can ride with the best non-draft athletes in the world. But history has taught us that Olympic triathlon rarely


turns out like it should in theory. If it did, Gomez would already have his gold, as he


was considered a shoo-in for the top prize in Beijing but suff ered an Achilles tendon injury prior to the event, which caused him to fi nish fourth. Similarly, Alistair announced in February that he had recently suff ered a tear in his Achilles tendon.


CONTINUED ON PAGE 58 CM MY CY CMY K


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