On paper the Men’s Olympic Triathlon should be the easiest event to call in terms of the winner, silver even too. The Brownlee Brothers from Yorkshire have virtually become untouchable and start as overwhelming favourites for Gold and Silver.
Bronze however is much harder to call.
It could well be those that continued to race in the build up to the games, as was the case in the women’s (of the top 5 in the women’s event, only Helen Jenkins in 5th didn’t race at Kitzbuehel or Hamburg – a knee injury hampering her build up to London). With the first two in Kitzbuehel first and second in London, and the winner of Hamburg third being race fit could make all the difference.
Richard Murray won in Hamburg (sprint distance), with Javier Gomez finishing top 3 in both events. Out side bets include Sven Riederer (SUI), Dmitry Polyanskiy (RUS), and Alexander Bryukhankov (RUS) – proof that style isn’t everything when it comes to running quick.
Stuart Hayes is there to help the Brownlee’s, but unlike the women’s race where Lucy Hall slowed the lead group down after the swim, Hayes is likely to have to drive the front group along (if he makes it in to the group), as the Brownlee’s are some of the first out of the water and rarely like to sit back on the bike leg. This may well be one of the fastest (and toughest) races seen in a long time.
Top 3
1 Alistair Brownlee (GBR)
2 Jonathan Brownlee (GBR)
3 Between the up and coming Richard Murray (RSA) and Javier Gomez (ESP)