FEW encapsulate the unshakeable belief of a sportsman better than Alistair Brownlee.
From taking his first breath in 1988, it would have been hard to predict how profound the Leeds native’s impact on the world of triathlon and British Athletics would be.
The 36-year-old announced his retirement last year, following a dazzling 18-year career headlined by back-to-back Olympic golds in London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro 2016.
But the medals are just the tip of the iceberg in Brownlee’s life.
Most see the accolades, or the short amount of time the Yorkshireman was on our screens for.
What’s seldom noticed, are the trials and tribulations, the hours of sacrifice, the doubt, and ultimately an unwavering story of determination and perseverance that culminated in the Briton blazing the trail in a golden renaissance of British Triathlon.
With his gold at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Brownlee firmly placed himself on the radar of the British public and not just the triathlon fraternity.
With all eyes on him at the 2016 Games, few people were privy to the injury headache the then 28-year-old endured. At the end of August 2015, Brownlee underwent major ankle surgery, without running until December and only pain-free come the new year, with just a few months before his gold medal defence. Despite having a mountain to climb to prepare, he once again stood on the top step of the podium, remarkably with younger brother Jonny taking silver, who Brownlee humbly called his “greatest asset”.
In doing so, the duo became the first British siblings to come first and second at the same Olympic event.
Given the aforementioned feats, one of which was a home Olympic gold, Brownlee’s response to his most potent memory was refreshingly surprising.
“I vividly remember the 2008 Beijing Olympics,” recalled the Yorkshireman.
“I was 20 at the time and it was my first taste of the Games, which was an incredible feeling in itself.
“All those hours and hard work you put in as a kid is all for moments like these.
“I came away from the race finishing 12th. But it was the first time in my life that I believed I had a chance in triathlon.
“I truly thought I had what it took after that to have a chance at the highest levels of the sport.
“Up to that point, I wasn’t sure if there would even be a career from the sport.
“Both the gold medals were really special in their own ways. Obviously the pride of winning at a home Olympics is something you usually only experience in your dreams, but then to return to Rio and defend that crown after being injured for large parts of the build up was something else entirely.
“That felt very stressful and was ultimately more of a personal battle to even get ready to compete successfully.
“I still remember a teacher at school telling me that London had won the 2012 bid.
“At the time, I honestly thought I had no chance of being an Olympic athlete.”
There can be an overwhelming sense of expectation on a British athlete fighting to earn back-to-back golds, but Brownlee’s own standards dominated his thoughts.
“Of course there is always external expectation,” he added.
“I think that was the most significant in the lead into the 2012 London Games.
“There was so much build up and everyone was fixated on those Games, there was so much interest around it.
“To be honest, for me, it was much more about the internal expectation, the fact that I’ve spent years and years of effort and hard work just focusing on one goal.
“I really didn’t want to let myself down on that.”
While sport was always a passion of his, it was running and swimming that truly captured Brownlee’s heart.
It would have been hard to foresee that those two disciplines, along with cycling, would shape his entire career.
The birth of Brownlee’s storied career was anything but easy.
Sporting excellence is seldom a linear journey, and the 36-year-old’s was no different.
With triathlon requiring a skilled balance of swimming, running and cycling, Brownlee’s love for the former two stood him in good stead, however work needed to be done to bring his cycling up to scratch.
Hours upon hours were put into cycling, whatever the weather, for Brownlee to fight for his dreams.
He would win his age group in the British Triathlon Championships in 2006 and he never looked back.
If any extra motivation was needed, his younger brother became his greatest competitor.
Jonny, just two years Alistair’s junior, was forging his own path in the sport and took bronze and silver behind his brother’s gold medal performances in London and Rio.
Like any sporting siblings, the rivalry was strong, but Brownlee believed that fierce competition was incredibly important to their sustained success.
“We were incredibly close growing up,” Brownlee reflected.
“We pushed each other massively and helped each other in races, travelling round the world together.
“In training, we both benefitted from each other and there’s no doubt that the dynamic helped us progress and achieve what we did.
“But we were very good at shelving that when it came to racing.
“When it came down to it, when it mattered, we were fierce competitors.
“Ultimately only one person can win and when we raced, we were both hungry to be that person.
“It was an interesting balance. But I think it was something we managed quite well.
“Given the pressure of the environment, to not fall out with each other was a massive positive and helped us both in the long run.
“There was a pragmatic approach to it at the same time.
“We could go out and train together and focus our goals.
“In a way, we were each other’s greatest asset.”
The intense bond between the brothers captivated the sporting community across the world in 2016, when the images of Alistair helping Jonny across the line at the Triathlon World Series in Mexico went viral.
Leading with just 700metres to go, Jonny began to weave and stumble in the blistering Cozumel heat, with South African Henri Schoeman passing the toiling Brit.
Alistair, back in third, caught his younger brother, propped him up for the finishing dash and pushed him over the line to finish in second place.
The older Brownlee joked: “We spent so much time trying to be the best we can be and win titles and to get so much attention for something that didn’t go the way we wanted to was a bit of a shock.
“I didn’t really have the mental capacity to think at the time. Stopping to help him was just second nature.
“I just picked him up and headed towards the finish.
“I’d like to think I would have helped anyone in that circumstance.
“The conditions were brutal and leaving anyone there is dangerous.”
What Brownlee now faces, is the tough transition away from the competitive sphere of sport.
For many sportsmen and women, it can be hardest part of their career.
When the lights go out and the crowd clears, what do I do now?
Going from a set routine, with training programs and not a second throughout the day that hasn’t been mapped out, is a daunting prospect to leave behind.
“It’s a really strange feeling, right after you retire,” he added.
“On a macro level, where you know through the year where you’ll race and when, but also on a micro level.
“Pretty much knowing what you’re doing every minute of the week. There isn’t really any time that hasn’t been accounted for.
“To not have that level of structure anymore is very strange and will take some getting used to.
“I’m fortunate at the moment that I stepped away from the sport during the off-season, so it would be during down time with family anyway.
“I can imagine it’ll hit home when I’d usually be training ahead of the season.
“But I have been preparing for this, it was the right time and I left when I wanted to.
“It’s now time for me to focus more on my family, after spending so much energy on triathlon over the last 20 years.”
But the double Olympic gold medallist stressed that he will continue to “challenge” himself in retirement.
Perhaps that will include a couple ultra triathlons after the Brit came second in the Ironman 70.3 World Championship back in 2018 and 2019.
“I’m the sort of person that needs to have goals in mind,” concluded Brownlee.
“I want to continually achieve and reach for targets, in whatever I’m doing.
“There are many spheres of life that I want to enter into and challenge myself in.
“I’m not sure what exactly, but everything I enjoy doing has got a focus of helping people to be more active and healthy through activity.
“We [with Jonny] set up The Brownlee Foundation, which has helped thousands of kids do their first triathlon with us.
“It’s a sport that means the world to me and I have done a bit of coaching too.
“I’ll always help out in the sport of triathlon in any way I can.”
Islanders have the unique opportunity to brush shoulders with Brownlee and three other British Olympic legends at the Royal Yacht on 6 February.
Hosted by Jersey’s own Kyran Bracken, Brownlee is joined by Victoria Pendleton, Jamie Baulch and Mark Foster, in a showcase evening organised by Sport Links, which benefits The LouLou Foundation.
