Olympic Gold Medallist Brownlee Shines in Abu Dhabi Sun
March 2, 2013London 2012 Star Smashes Abu Dhabi International Triathlon Short Course Record To Win
In his Arabian debut,London 2012 Gold medal winner, Great Britain’s Alistair Brownlee, smashed the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon short course record on his way to clinching his first win since the Olympic Games last summer.
Suited up in the colours of the Union Jack, the 24-year-old Yorkshireman looked every inch the champion in Abu Dhabi. Having spent much of his winter training acclimatising to the warm Arabian temperatures, the hard work paid off for the back-to-back European Triathlon Union champion as he finished the 111.5kms pure power course in 3h20m18s – 29 seconds ahead of the previous record, set in 2010 by Dutchman Jan Van Berkel.
And Brownlee, who is used to the shorter Olympic distances and is in Abu Dhabi to expand his competitive horizons, was full of praise to the thousands of fans who turned out to cheer him over the line.
“It is a good race to do for an introduction to longer distances and I would like to do more, but right now my focus us is on the ITU circuit. Thanks so much for all the support, it was fantastic, and well done to all those that raced, I hope you all do it again!” said Brownlee, whose win will send shockwaves through the long course community.
