Jonathan Brownlee is hoping the happy Madrid memories roll on as he attempts to take a step closer to retaining his World Triathlon Series title this weekend.
The 23-year-old heads to Spain to take on the man who finished one place ahead of him at London 2012 – Olympic silver medallist Javier Gomez.
And the omens look good since a Brownlee brother – whether it be Jonathan or elder sibling Alistair – have topped the podium in the last four Series events in Madrid.
Jonathan won in Spain last year en route to his first world crown and the Olympic bronze medallist is hoping for more of the same this time around.
“It’s a great course here in Madrid. The swim is tight, so you have to be tactically aware, and the climb on the bike course makes it a true triathlon challenge,” said Jonathan, who won the previous round in Yokohama.
“It’s a race that Alistair and I both enjoy. It’s a shame he’s not here but I’ll give it my best. Training has been going well so I’m looking forward to it.”
Jonathan is joined by eight other British athletes in Madrid as they all bid to read September’s World Triathlon Grand Final in London.
Non Stanford and Jodie Stimpson have their eyes on repeating their podium performances from previous rounds and are joined in the women’s event by Katie Hewison and Vanessa Raw, while Britain’s depth is demonstrated by having five 2013 Series top ten finishers in the line up.
Matt Sharp races having finished fifth in the first round of the Series in Auckland, and David McNamee comes to Madrid having achieved top ten finishes in both San Diego and Yokohama. Aaron Harris and Phil Wolfe complete the British line up.
© Sportsbeat 2013