What do the Brownlee's have?
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Soldato
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Height and build means very little in endurance sport. They clearly have huge aerobic engines. Alistair’s bike threshold power is in the region of 400w which is exceptional for his weight. They will also have supreme running and swimming efficiency, a physical ability to withstand huge training loads (c35 hours per week) and mental toughness.
No one gets to the top of any endurance sport through working hard. That’s a constant among all athletes. It’s not like a skill based sport where an exceptionally gifted athlete can go a long way without putting the work in. How good you get is defined by genetics and the quality of your coaching.
Nothing anymore. They're both past it as far as triathlon goes and there are far better triathletes already in the sport and emerging.
Sure, they stole the hearts of the nation, and gave the sport of triathlon a huge boost, but really it comes down to the Henman/Murray syndrome. We just had no one better.
Pound for pound, Alex Yee is far better at triathlon than either brownlee.
Lucy Charles Barclay is a more accomplished triathlete but you won't see her at the Olympics this year and she would have to transition from long to short course.
Jan Frederno, untouchable long course triathlete. Full distance in sub 7h30. That's an exceptional triathlete.
Sure, they stole the hearts of the nation, and gave the sport of triathlon a huge boost, but really it comes down to the Henman/Murray syndrome. We just had no one better.
Pound for pound, Alex Yee is far better at triathlon than either brownlee.
Lucy Charles Barclay is a more accomplished triathlete but you won't see her at the Olympics this year and she would have to transition from long to short course.
Jan Frederno, untouchable long course triathlete. Full distance in sub 7h30. That's an exceptional triathlete.
This is true, I was just thinking what a great life being a full time athlete, living in a nice country house surrounded by nature.
Soldato
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Being constantly exhausted, having to get up and train every day come rain or shine, having no social life, pushing yourself to the point of being sick, all the media duties…
I’d sooner have a 9 to 5 job.
Soldato
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Rather unfair given they were world and European champions and Olympic medalists. They were the best we had but they were also at the top of their game. Triathlon has moved on hugely in the last 10 years so it’s, again, unfair to compare what they were doing at their peak to athletes now.
Transitioning from long to short course, and vice versa, isn’t easy. Performances don’t necessarily scale.
Vastly unfair, the brownlees were dominating triathlons for years, yes the limelight is fading from short course racing for them as a younger generation is coming through. Short course racing is a young man's game anyway.
Comparing 70.3 and full distance triathlon to Olympic events is like comparing football and rugby and calling it the same.
The brownlees got where they got through having the engine and the work ethic to grind out 3 events daily for years and years. Hard bloody work in other words.
Comparing 70.3 and full distance triathlon to Olympic events is like comparing football and rugby and calling it the same.
The brownlees got where they got through having the engine and the work ethic to grind out 3 events daily for years and years. Hard bloody work in other words.
Soldato
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Was gonna ask as I thought of this a while ago.. how did Alastair get on with the longer courses? I take it he wasn't as successful but I remember thinking this will see how he is as a broader athlete against other sportspeople (larger cohort).
Caporegime
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Murray syndrome? What are you talking about? Yes, we had no one better, but neither did 95% of countries in the world.
He was a champion, not some serial loser like Herman.
Soldato
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Lol Herman!
Tbf Herman came up against class in the finals like Sampras. He also was not world class, but Murray was that bit better unfortunately injury bust his career ending.
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He was more than a bit better. Henman lost to Sampras. Murray beat Djokovic. Djokovic is better than Sampras.Lol Herman!
Tbf Herman came up against class in the finals like Sampras. He also was not world class, but Murray was that bit better unfortunately injury bust his career ending.
Soldato
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Questionable. Sampras was far better than most give him credit for. In fact Sampras in prime vs Federer in prime would be interesting..
In Sampras' prime the courts were significantly faster than today, meaning big servers were much more dominant, and the game was played differently because of that with a lot more serve + volley and less baseline play. Sampras had possibly the best serve of all time. On those faster courts he might have been able to beat Federer but on todays no chance imo.
People ******** on Henman are also being unfair and probably don't even follow tennis apart from Wimbledon. He was #4 in the world, better than the vast majority of professional players and a 6 time slam semi-finalist with 11 ATP titles. That's not the career of a serial loser, he just didn't quite have what it takes to win a grand slam. Murray in his prime was much better though obviously.
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and in a few years time they'll have to have one anyway.
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Elite genetics, the circumstances that funnelled them into the appropriate sport they’d excel at and the mentality to train at the required level to maximise that genetic potential.
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So basically a 9 to 5 job for the coaching and an evening job for the speaking.