Reigning Olympic and Commonwealth champion Ali Brownlee, and his brother Jonny are part of Team England’s 10 strong tri squad that will be competing at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, Australia, in April 2018.
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Alistair Brownlee said: “It’s a great honour to be representing Team England. I have had the chance to compete at the Commonwealth Games once before and it’s a big deal for a niche sport like triathlon to compete in a global sporting competition like this. I am looking forward to getting out there on the start line.
“At the moment I am focusing on my training for the next few months to get myself in the best possible shape I can be in for the Games. I have been lucky enough to race there before actually, at the same venue, and I have some good and bad memories of that. But I am just looking forward to being there on one of the biggest stages that you can in triathlon.”
The 10 strong tri squad will include, for the first time, paratriathletes after the news came that paratriathlon was going to make its debut at the games.
There will just be one class for men and women, the PT1, which is for wheelchair users. Athletes use a recumbent handcycle on the bike course and a racing wheelchair on the run segment.
Commonwealth Games to host Paratriathlon for first time
The 8 other athletes joining the brothers as part of Team England are; Tom Bishop, Mark Conway (paratri), Sophie Coldwell, Jess Learmonth, Vicky Holland, Lizzie Tench (paratri), Jade Jones-Hall (paratri) and Joe Townsend (paratri). The squad will be hoping forTeam England’s first medals of the Games on 5th April.
European Paratriathlon champion Jade Jones-Hall competed for Team England in Glasgow 2014 on the track, winning a bronze medal in the T54 1500m event. She will make her triathlon debut for Team England, along with 2017 Paratriathlon World Cup silver medallist, Lizzie Tench.
Lizzie Tench said: “Being part of the first Commonwealth Games Paratriathlon is going to be really special, and this is my first major games. I’m hugely motivated by the challenge ahead, and excited to be part of Team England.”
Rio 2016 bronze medallist and two-time World Mixed Team champion, Vicky Holland, will be putting on her Team England shirt for the second time after competing in the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Team England Triathlon Team Leader, Ian Pyper, said “Competition for places was extremely competitive. This is a reflection of the strength and depth of triathletes and paratriathletes in this country, and their desire to challenge for individual and mixed relay medals on the Gold Coast next April. We’re obviously delighted to have three Olympic medal winners within our team as well as some big performers from 2017.”
Team England will send a team of around 600 athletes and staff in what will be England’s largest ever team to represent the nation in an overseas sporting event. The team will compete in 18 sports, including 38 para medal events.
