We profile some of the top men racing in Sunday’s ITU Grand Final in London
The Brownlees and Gomez will once again face off in London (Photo: Janos Schmidt/ITU)
With both Brownlees and Javier Gomez all in with a shout of this year’s title, the race is shaping up to be another classic showdown in Hyde Park. Here’s what the leading trio have been up to this season as well as a look at a couple of other contenders.
Alistair Brownlee (GBR) – Rank: 1
Alistair Brownlee’s racing resume includes the 2009 and 2011 elite world championships as well as gold at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Since then, he’s won the Abu Dhabi short course triathlon (1.5/100/10km) as well as this year’s ITU WTS races in San Diego, Kitzbuehel and Stockholm, where he went off the front during the bike leg to win in style. It’s hard to pick between the Brownlees, but Alistair may just have the psychological advantage over his younger brother.
Jonny Brownlee (GBR) – Rank: 2
Jonathan Brownlee just keeps improving. He’s the 2010 sprint world champion, 2010 U23 world champion, 2011 sprint world champion and finished last year with Olympic bronze and the ITU World Championship title – winning three WTS events in the process. This year, he’s won in Yokohama and Madrid, out sprinted his brother in Hamburg and came third to him in Stockholm. He looks perhaps a little stronger than Alistair, so a confident performance could be all he needs to clinch the title.
Javier Gomez (ESP) – Rank: 3
Since taking silver at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Gomez has won the Hy-Vee Triathlon, the Xterra World Championship, Escape from Alcatraz and Half Challenge Barcelona, his first middle-distance event. So much racing means he’s not sparkled quite as brightly as usual in the ITU WTS this year, but he remains the only non-Brownlee to have won an ITU WTS race this year. If peaked for the Grand Final – he out ran Jonny Brownlee recently at ITU Stockholm – he could win the grand final as he did in 2012.
Mario Mola (ESP) – Rank: 4
After finishing 19th at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Mola has earned a gutsy second-place finish in the Auckland leg of the ITU WTS followed this up with a consistent scorecard, taking fifth in San Diego, fourth in Madrid, third in the ETU Triathlon European Championships, second in ITU Kitzbuehel and fifth in Hamburg. Still a youngster, Mola’s got a way to go to take Gomez’s crown at the top of Spanish triathlon, but this promising talent could cause an upset if things go his way.
Richard Murray (RSA) – Rank: 5
South African star Murray is one of the fastest runners in the pack, but has lacked consistency in making the front bike group. Nevertheless, he’s put in good performances throughout the season with a second, a fourth, a fifth, and two sixth place finished to his name this year. If he can get out the swim with the leaders, he’ll be on for a top-five finish.