Brownlee brothers eyeing up new challenges

TRIATHLON brothers Alistair and Jonny Brownlee have both set their sights on new challenges after a fantastic year which saw Alistair claim Olympic gold and Jonny crowned world champion.

NEW CHALLENGE: Alistair Brownlee has set his sights on the longer Abu Dhabi Triathlon after winning gold in London

Alistair is taking part in the Abu Dhabi Triathlon in March 2013, which means stepping up from 40km in the middle cycling leg to 100km.

Speaking at the BT British Olympic Ball, the 24-year-old said: “I’m really looking forward to it, it should be a good introduction to the longer distances which is something I’ve wanted to do for a while.”

Alistair is still revelling in his London 2012 success and revealed that he couldn’t resist returning to the scene of his triumph, which was just a few minutes from the venue for the Ball.

He said: “It was fantastic. I actually went back to Hyde Park earlier tonight and jogged round the course in the dark. It was the first time I’d been there since the Olympics.”

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Younger brother Jonny is also considering stepping up to a longer distance. When asked about it, he said: “At some point definitely, but not for the next couple of years. I love Olympic distance racing, the pressure of it, the excitement of it.”

However, the 22-year-old, who claimed a bronze behind his brother at London 2012, is also considering expanding his sporting prowess even further by going into the extra long-distance field of Iron Man.

He said: “I would love to go into Iron Man in the future, maybe after Rio I would change but not before then.”

In the shorter term, both Brownlees will fancy their chances of winning the 2013 world championship. Asked if he thinks they will finish top two, like they did in 2011, Jonny explained: “We’ll give it a go definitely. It’s always a difficult one, there’s always new people who come along but we’ll try our best for next year.”

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