Men’s Grand Final Gallery

 

Olympic Champion Alistair Brownlee won the men’s race with a  gap too large for  top-three triathletes in the world – including younger brother Jonathan –to bridge, in a time of 1:48:44. Spain’s Mario Mola and Javier Gomez were second and third respectively in 1:49:04 and 1:49:07. Gomez’s third-place finished assured him this year’s overall title, while Mola finished second with 4,601 points, and Jonathan Brownlee slipped to third in the standings with 4,501 points.

A tough swim left Canadians Kyle Jones and Andrew Yorke  in catch-up mode for the rest of the race.

“The swim was so hard; I don’t even know if you can call it swimming. It was so congested. We’re used to tough swims, but this took it to a whole new level,” said Yorke, who crossed the line 22nd in 1:51:01. Yorke, who trains out of Guelph, is set on refocusing in the lead-up to the 2016 Olympic Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro – which includes competing in the 2015 Pan-Am Games in Toronto. “It’s amazing to be able to race in Edmonton, but racing in Toronto, it’ll be like [the reception] Paula [Findlay] got here. For me to have that kind of support will be amazing, and a once in a lifetime opportunity. [Racing in Canada] is something you don’t often experience as a North American doing a sport predominantly set in Europe.”

 

Top Canadian Jones finished in 18th-place with his new son, Zack and his wife cheering him on.

“I came up just off of where I wanted to be. It was a tough season. It certainly had its highs, but it was tough,” said Jones, who later tweeted that his wife, son, and parents’ presence at the race made it “extra special” in a thank-you he sent to supporters. With the end of the season comes time for Jones to spend with his young family and strategize before heading into next season.

“The depth (of the elite men’s field) is just insane. One day you can be sixth or seventh, the next day your 16th or 17th. We’re now sprinting to finish in the top 34, with just a few seconds’ difference,” he said.