Alistair Brownlee and Alex Yee to battle for last Tokyo slot at WTCS Leeds

(Photo: World Triathlon)

In two weeks time Britain’s Alistair Brownlee and Alex Yee will have to be in their best shape to show British Triathlon who’s their best pick for the Tokyo Olympics. With one of the (so far) two available men’s spots on the British team taken by Jonathan Brownlee, Alistair Brownlee and Yee – as the top contenders – will need to show their A-game at the World Triathlon Championship Series in Leeds to earn their trip to Tokyo. Brownlee will have one advantage given the fact that it’s a hometown race. However, Yee, who’s only 23-years old, showed that he’s in shape thanks to a fourth-place finish at WTCS Yokohama. Also, Brownlee is recovering from an ankle injury and, therefore, might not have had the best preparation.

Andy Salmon, CEO at British Triathlon, told The Yorkshire Post that it’s a hard decision to make. “Alistair is one of those athletes where it would take a brave person to predict what Alistair is going to do or isn’t going to do. He’s just an incredible athlete as everybody knows, but it’s well known he’s had a bit of an injury recently. We’re all hoping that continues to improve.”

The decision will be based on their results in other races, the race in Leeds, but also on training data, Salmon explains. British Triathlon is still hoping to get a third Olympic slot for the men, but as long as it’s two slots only, Brownlee and Yee will have to battle for it. Jessica Learmonth, Georgia Taylor-Brown and Vicky Holland have already been selected for the women’s slots.

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