Alistair Brownlee books his ticket to Kona with a win at Ironman Ireland
On June 23rd, Alistair Brownlee, the two-time Olympic gold medallist, won Ironman Ireland in his debut full distance race. In 2017, Brownlee made his half-Ironman debut in St.George and beat a field that included Lionel Sanders, Sebastian Kienle, Tim Don and Ben Kanute.
He is the fastest runner in the field and he made up 5 minutes on the first 10.3 kilometers: @AliBrownleetri is 8:44 behind leader @MccrystalBryan, Thomschke +10:30 #IMIreland pic.twitter.com/Vnsv1MxJQ2
— IRONMANLive (@IRONMANLive) June 23, 2019
In Cork, Ireland, the swim was cancelled due to the weather conditions. With the professional field being sent out in 30-second intervals, the athletes took on a challenging bike course with severe winds and rain. Coming off the bike, Brownlee was approximately 10 minutes behind the leader and hometown triathlete, Bryan McCrystal. However, with his memorizing leg turnover and patience, Brownlee gained on McCrystal and ended up taking the win in his debut race.
Your #IMIreland men's podium!
Men:
? Alistair Brownlee 7:44:16
? Bryan McCrystal +5:29
? Markus Thomschke +13:54 pic.twitter.com/uN61rdBZ8v— IRONMAN Triathlon (@IRONMANtri) June 23, 2019
With the win, Brownlee has earned himself a ticket to the 2019 Ironman World Championship in Kona. As of right now, the two-time Olympic champion appears to be balancing Tokyo 2020 and Kona aspirations.
In the women’s race, Emma Bilham took the win ahead of Pleuni Hooijman and Amanda Wendorff.
Time for the champagne showers! ? Here's your #IMIreland women's podium!
? Emma Bilham 8:50:18
? Pleuni Hooijman +29:32
? Amanda Wendorff +38:14 pic.twitter.com/bzLk8RgOGW— IRONMAN Triathlon (@IRONMANtri) June 23, 2019
