Alistair Brownlee has showed the blistering form this season that made him the 2009 world champion as he currently stands at the top of the world rankings and won the biggest event of the year so far when he took gold in the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series event in Hyde Park last month to secure London 2012 qualification.

The 23-year-old from Yorkshire is heading to the ITU World Championship Series Grand Final in Beijing this weekend as the favourite, and a top three finish would see him pick up his second world title.

However, Jonathan Brownlee is currently second in the world ranking after a phenomenal first full season at senior level and should he win the season-ending race in the Chinese capital and his older brother finish outside the top three the 21-year-old would become world champion.

"It's kind of hard because this rivalry with Jonny has kind of just crept up on me," admitted Alistair in a phone conference call that took place at the GE headquarters here.

"Jonny has performed so well lately and has become a major threat in all events.

"He has made the transition from junior to senior competition a lot faster than I think we all thought he would and really proved he is one of the best triathletes in the world already.

"He will definitely be one of the main contenders for Olympic gold next year.

"But I guess it is a good thing because we are always training together and working together so it is great for us to both be right at the very top of the sport."


Both the brothers are currently in their World Championship preparation camp in Jeju in South Korea and will leave for Beijing later this week but Jonathan said that there will be no attempt from him to sabotage his older brother in China so that he can claim his first world title.

"Alistair and I are a team and we will always be a team and continue to work together," Jonathan said.

"Obviously I love winning and would love to be the world champion but I think as soon as I start attacking Alistair or went away from our team tactics in a race then it would be a bad thing for both of us.

"I think that part of the reason that we are doing so well right now is because we are working together to get ahead of the rest of the field so if we turned on each other it would play right into their hands.

"But I am really happy with my own first full season at senior level.

"It has gone far better than I expected and if think a lot of that is down to Alistair and the help he has given me."

Following the ITU World Championship Series Grand Final in Beijing all thoughts will turn to London 2012 and Alistair admits he is comfortable with the tag of favourite.

"Hyde Park is a good course and it was great for my confidence to get a win there this year," he said.

"Ideally I would like the course to have more hills and be a lot harder as it's quite flat but a great athlete shows that he can adapt and win on all courses.

"I think people will be coming after me but I think that if I am at my best, I will be difficult to beat and it would be fantastic if Jonny and I could finish in first and second at the Olympics.

"That is the dream."

Should one of the Brownlee's win the 2011 men's world title in Beijing as is highly likely, it would cap a phenomenal year for British triathlon, as Helen Jenkins is heavy favourite to secure the women's world title in China.

The ITU World Championship Grand Final in Beijing will take place on September 10-11.

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