Brownlee brothers finish 1-2 in men’s triathlon

England's Alistair Brownlee wins the men's triathlon race at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland on July 24, 2014. REUTERS/Russell Cheyne

Alistair Brownlee beat younger brother Jonny to Commonwealth Games gold as England completed a dream day in the triathlon at Strathclyde Country Park.

The reigning Olympic gold medallist had time to grab England and Yorkshire flags and give his brother a clap before walking across the finish line.

Yorkshire’s Brownlee brothers led virtually from start to finish, but it was Alistair, 26, who again had the edge to add the Commonwealth title to his Olympic and world crowns.

Jonny, 24, who won Olympic bronze in 2012, finished 11 seconds adrift, while South Africa’s Richard Murray won bronze.

The Brownlees stated their intention to make it a hard race from the start and they certainly delivered. The pair pushed the pace early in the 1.5-kilometre swim and exited the water in second and third place, behind South Africa’s Henri Schoeman, with 20-year-old Scot Marc Austin in fourth.

The three British athletes were working incredibly well together on the bikes, pushing on despite the significant heat.

It was an impressive performance from Austin, who won silver at the world junior championships last year, but had never been in contention in a top-class senior race before. He finally found the pace too hot to handle at the end of the fourth lap, dropping off at a rapid rate and soon being swallowed by chase group.

The gap to the Brownlees was hovering at around a minute, and it stayed that way until they set out on the 10km run. Having worked together, the pair were now going all out to beat each other.

Alistair is again in top form after struggling with injury niggles earlier in the season, beating Jonny in Hamburg earlier this month. And he wasted no time making his move, pulling out a five-second lead by the end of the first lap, which grew gradually until the end of the race.

Alistair was thrilled with his victory, and joked he may as well quit, having achieved the full set of world, Olympic and Commonwealth titles.

“It’s absolutely fantastic,” he said on BBC1. “This was the goal I wanted to achieve for the season. I’ve done everything I wanted to do, so I don’t know what I’m going to do now. I might as well retire.

“It was just great – good crowds, a nice sunny day. I think there were more people trying to take selfies and get on TV than supporting triathlon, but it was good all the same. A cheer’s a cheer.”

Jonny was again forced to play second fiddle behind his brother.

“I’ve completed the whole set now in triathlon, all the medals – not winning, because Alistair’s got away there,” he said. “But Olympic bronze, Commonwealth silver and world champion, that’s great.”

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