Jonny Brownlee ready to return to form in Leeds

Little has gone right for the 28-year-old since he claimed silver behind his big brother Alistair at the Rio Olympics nearly two years ago.

First there was the never-to-be-forgotten day in Mexico in September 2016 when, in sight of a second world title, Jonny overheated and was virtually carried across the line by Alistair.

Last year he made the podium only twice in races and in April finished a hugely disappointing seventh at the Commonwealth Games, three places ahead of Alistair, when the brothers had been expected to be fighting it out for gold.

Jonny told Press Association Sport: “The Commonwealths were a massive disappointment. To be honest, the last 18 months has been a disappointment.

“I think that’s for a couple of reasons. Leading into Rio took a lot out of me. I think people underestimate when you commit yourself to a one-day race how much that takes out of you. And when you’re successful, you end up being very, very busy. I probably ended up doing too much stuff and not enough training.

“And secondly, I don’t think I really appreciated how much Cozumel affected me. I had a lot of tests that showed I was fine but last year I just felt when I was competing, my body would get to 95 per cent and just stop, and go ‘I ain’t going through that again’.

“I was finishing races not tired but I couldn’t go any harder. When your body’s been through something like that, I think it does take a good year to get over.

“I hope I’m over that now. I just raced awful on the day at the Commonwealths. And this time I wasn’t good enough to have a bad day. It was a real opportunity to win a gold medal, and that hurt. It was a shock. We had got it right on every big occasion before.”

Nearly two months on, Jonny is getting set for a busy week, starting with the World Triathlon Mixed Relay in Nottingham on Thursday, where the British quartet will look for qualification points ahead of the event making its Olympic debut in 2020.

Then Jonny will be the home-town hero at the World Triathlon Leeds on Sunday. He has finished second to Alistair in both the previous editions of the race but will fly the Brownlee flag alone this time after Alistair pulled out with injury.

It is a chance for Jonny to send a message to the likes of double world champion Mario Mola and Commonwealth gold medallist Henri Schoeman, but he will feel his brother’s absence.

Jonny said of racing in Leeds: “It’s always super special. Unfortunately Alistair’s had a bit of back luck over the last couple of months with injuries that aren’t getting any better. It’s a shame for me because I’ve enjoyed racing with Alistair in Leeds, I’ve enjoyed going through the whole event together and we race similarly tactically.

“To miss that big driving force on the bike is a big disappointment. It gives someone else an opportunity to win but if anything it might have reduced my chances slightly because he’s the one who likes to make the swim and bike hard and get a group away, and hopefully I would have been able to run faster than him this time.”

Even if it does not turn out to be his day, Jonny has no doubt that, when he and Alistair are both healthy and in form, they can rule the sport once more.

“I don’t think it has been moved on,” he said. “Maybe people are a bit closer on the swim but still the fastest run there’s ever been by a decent stretch was the London Olympics. I think I’ve just not been very good. I want to go to Tokyo and come away with a gold medal.”