Olympic Games Triathlon: Jonny Brownlee reacts to losing out on Team GB’s Paris 2024 place.
Paris was “always a bonus,” and it will now be a “unwritten chapter,” according to a triathlon legend who missed out on Olympic selection.
Jonny Brownlee has replied in an emotional and respectful manner to the news that he would not be competing for Team GB in the 2024 Olympic Games triathlon in Paris. The announcement on Wednesday (June 19) signals the end of an era, since it will be the first Olympic Games in 20 years without Jonny or his brother Alistair.
Jonny is the most successful triathlete in Olympic history. In his first Games, he finished third behind Alistair in front of massive home audiences in London in 2012, and then second when the Yorkshire legends went one-two in Rio four years later. He completed the set by winning gold in the Mixed Team Relay in Tokyo.
That performance, in which he ran the fastest leg of the day, encouraged Jonny to seek a fourth consecutive Games appearance in Paris, but the second and final men’s spot, with Alex Yee, has been awarded to 26-year-old Sam Dickinson.
‘I will support the team.’ The decision was made at the discretion of the three-person GB selection panel, and it was clearly finely balanced, but Brownlee handled it in his usual measured manner. He posted on his Instagram profile, “I have not been selected for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”
Brownlee is the men’s team’s designated reserve in the event of illness or injury. SBRX: Your monthly dose of endurance sports.
An unwritten chapter. While the 34-year-old did not get the “fairytale ending” he had hoped for in terms of the Olympics, he emphasized that he still has a lot to look forward to in the sport. He went on to say, “I’ve accomplished more than I could have expected during my Olympic career.
After 99 world triathlon starts, 52 podiums, and three Olympic medals, it’s not the fairytale conclusion I had hoped for, but Paris was always a bonus, and it may be the unfinished chapter of an extraordinary novel! “I have a great summer to look forward to and some exciting racing ahead.”
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