Leeds Sports Awards nominee profile: Alistair Brownlee

From athletes’ and coaches’ achievements on the global stage at the Olympics and Paralympics to the work done supporting school and student sport, there is plenty to shout about.

Among the finalists are six nominees with an affiliation to Leeds Beckett University.

Ahead of next month’s ceremony, organised by Sport Leeds, we will be profiling each of them.

Alistair Brownlee (MSc Finance 2013)

Alistair is nominated in the Senior Achievers section as one of seven contenders to be named Sportsman of the Year.

It is unsurprising recognition after a year in which he secured his place in history with his performance at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

After victory in London four years before, Alistair became the first ever athlete to successfully defend the Olympic Triathlon crown with victory on the Fort Copacabana course.

He broke away from brother Jonny - the pair train at Leeds Beckett’s Headingley Campus - halfway through the climactic 10K run, eventually winning by six seconds.

Alongside his groundbreaking feat in Brazil, Alistair also took victory in the inaugural Leeds leg of the ITU World Triathlon Series in June and in the Stockholm race in July. 

Later in the year he also hit the headlines after carrying Jonny over the finish line in the series’ Mexican race when his younger brother was suffering with heat exhaustion.
Alistair’s eventful year saw him take second place in the vote for the 2016 BBC Sports Personality of the Year in December, with 121,665 votes from the public, behind world number one tennis player Andy Murray.

Massive honour to be runner up in SPOTY last night. Never dreamed I would hold one of these. Thank you to every single person who voted. pic.twitter.com/U6oKwZpFwX

— Alistair Brownlee (@AliBrownleetri) December 19, 2016

Other nominees in the Sportsman category include Alistair’s brother Jonny, gold-winning synchronised 3m springboard divers Chris Mears and Jack Laugher, Test cricketer and former Leeds Beckett Sports Performance student Jonny Bairstow, bronze-winning gymnast Nile Wilson and gold-winning rower Paul Bennett.

(SENIOR ACHIEVERS)

SPORTSMAN

Alistair Brownlee MBE

Chris Mears MBE

Jack Laugher MBE

Jonny Bairstow

Jonny Brownlee

Nile Wilson

Paul Bennett MBE