BY Mitch Phillips
TOKYO, July 31 (Reuters) - Jonny
Brownlee's bid to add a gold medal to his bronze and silver came up short in
Monday's individual Olympic triathlon but his disappointment was wiped out and
then some as he helped Britain to victory in the inaugural mixed relay five
days later.
Brownlee finished fifth in the
individual race, missing his chance to match older brother Alistair, champion
in 2012 and 2016, but played a key role in the two-women-two man relay win on
Saturday that extended the country's dominance of the sport's medal table.
Brownlee, Jess Learmonth and
individual silver medallists Georgia Taylor-Brown and Alex Yee led the
all-action sprint race virtually from gun to tape, giving the Yorkshireman the
perfect send-off as he moves into longer distance racing.
"That's probably it for my
Olympic career – I’ve got all the medals," Brownlee told reporters.
"To win my first Olympic gold is obviously special but to win it as part
of a team is even more special.
"To win with these incredible
athletes... it’s a different pressure - it’s not about you it’s about the team
mates the support staff, so I’m really proud."
Yee brought Britain home with a
superbly judged performance, not panicking when his lead on the bike was wiped
out by charging Frenchman Vincent Luis, tucking in on his wheel before roaring
out on the run to build a lead he never looked like relinquishing.
"I was pretty confident in his
running form but it's the best and worst position to be in the lead as all you
can do is lose," Brownlee said of the 23-year-old. "The composure he
showed there for a young lad with a world champion chasing him down - I’ve seen
athletes crumble there but he didn’t – it was absolutely amazing."
Yee repaid the compliment, saying:
"Jonny was one of the reasons I got into the sport - watching him in 2012
he inspired me."
Yee said he had to "put
away" his individual silver to enable him to focus on his team role but
admitted to being nervous in the heat of battle.
"I was pretty scared taking
over," he said. "These guys had done the perfect race up to that
point – we had the three best people doing each leg and I wanted to do it
justice. In my mind I wasn’t going to do anything less than try to get the win.
"When Luis came past I knew I
just had to get on there. I know my run’s my strength so I just went for it.
It’s amazing to be here and do it with these great guys."
After an incredible week British
Triathlon Performance Director Mike Cavendish said the team "executed it
perfectly".
"We planned for a long time for
this," he said. "We felt we had the four best athletes and the
challenge was dampening expectations. "We are fortunate we have such
strength in depth across the board."
Reporting by Mitch Phillips; editing
by Shri Navaratnam
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