Alistair Brownlee was Great Britain’s hero as he edged Frenchman Vincent Luis in a nail-biting neck-and-neck race to the finish line to claim the mixed triathlon relay world title in Hamburg.
Lucy Hall, Vicky Holland and brothers Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee joined forces in an attempt to see Great Britain lift the title for a third time, having previously won in 2011 and 2012.
Each athlete completed a 300m swim, 6.6km bike ride and 1600m run with Hall getting the team off to a solid start before Jonathan Brownlee rode and ran exceptionally well to gain a lead.
Holland kept the quartet in contention before Alistair Brownlee took on the final leg, the latter delighted to lift the world title, particularly given the crash that put an end to their title hopes last year.
He said: “It was a great team performance today. Everyone did great and we’re real happy to win it again after last year.”
Jonathan Brownlee added: “I did a bit of time trialling at the start of the year and I needed it. I love this format of racing; it’s great to take part in, great race.”
Meanwhile, Hall was delighted to win her first ITU world title, saying: “I think to be in a team with the Brownlees and Vicky you can’t go too wrong with that. It was a tough race for me, but I enjoyed every minute of it.”
And Holland was pleased with both her individual performance of seventh and the relay success.
“It’s not been a bad weekend,” she said. “It’s all in prep for the Commonwealth Games and hopefully I can be part of the relay again there.
“It’s fast furious racing, but it’s really fun and I’m really pleased to be part of it.”
© Sportsbeat 2014