Alistair Brownlee delivered another devastating run for a crushing victory in the London leg of triathlon's world series on Sunday to stoke up expectation he can repeat the feat when next year's Olympic race is run over the same Hyde Park course.
Britain's Brownlee, the 2010 world champion, controlled the race to finish in one hour 50.09 minutes. Russian Alexander Bryukhankov was second 25 seconds back with Brownlee's younger brother Jonathan taking third after overhauling current world champion Javier Gomez with a terrific run.
The victory completed a great weekend for British triathlon after Helen Jenkins won Saturday's women's race.
Subject to rubber-stamping of the British Triathlon Federation, she and both Brownlees are now sure of their place at London 2012, where they will seek to win the country's first medals in the sport first introduced at Sydney 2000.
With the London race in its third year on partly the same course, which goes out of the Royal Park to take in landmarks such as Buckingham Palace and the Wellington Arch, it was always likely to be one of the most straightforward of the test events for London 2012 venues.
Race organisers and Olympic officials were delighted with the large crowds and action-packed racing, which was also tested by traditional British summer conditions of snatches of sunshine interspersed with torrential downpours.
Fears that algae growth would cause problems for the 1,500-metre Serpentine swim also proved unfounded and Spaniard Gomez and Olympic champion Jan Frodeno of Germany led the 65-man field out of the water.
The Brownlee brothers, who finished one-two in the Madrid leg of the world series in June, were right behind them as a large group swept out of transition one together.
It did not take long for Alistair Brownlee, the senior brother at 23, to stamp his authority on the race as he led a four-man breakaway a lap into the seven-lap cycling leg.
Bryukhankov, New Zealander James Elvery and former world champion Ivan Rana of Spain were with him and they eventually came in over a minute clear of the chasing pack who failed to get themselves organised enough to mount a worthwhile chase.
GOOD SHAPE
Alistair Brownlee tore out of T2 and within moments was away and clear.
Pounding a relentless pace he was 20 seconds clear of Bryukhankov halfway into the four-lap 10km circuit and had plenty of time to high-five his way down the finishing chute, to the delight of the hardy fans who braved the lashing rain.
"It was brilliant, one of the best receptions I've ever had and the whole event was a great experience," Brownlee told Reuters. "To be honest, I couldn't believe I got away on the bike. I was worried I would be attacked on the bike.
"I felt good on the run, I was confident I was in good shape after the work we've put in."
Jonathan Brownlee, 21, posted the day's best run with a 29 minute, 35-seconds-effort to take third ahead of Gomez.
With the race acting as an Olympic qualifier for many nations, athletes were punching the air in celebration all the way down the field as they secured the various criteria needed for selection to return to the same course in less a year.
However, it was a day to forget for Chris McCormack. The 1997 world champion who went on to become a dominant force at the Ironman distance has returned to the Olympic distance this year in an attempt to make the Australian team for London 2012 having been controversially overlooked in 2000.
The 38-year-old came out of the swim way adrift and cut a forlorn figure trailing way beyond the back of the main pack in the bike before dropping out.
Britain's Brownlee, the 2010 world champion, controlled the race to finish in one hour 50.09 minutes. Russian Alexander Bryukhankov was second 25 seconds back with Brownlee's younger brother Jonathan taking third after overhauling current world champion Javier Gomez with a terrific run.
The victory completed a great weekend for British triathlon after Helen Jenkins won Saturday's women's race.
Subject to rubber-stamping of the British Triathlon Federation, she and both Brownlees are now sure of their place at London 2012, where they will seek to win the country's first medals in the sport first introduced at Sydney 2000.
With the London race in its third year on partly the same course, which goes out of the Royal Park to take in landmarks such as Buckingham Palace and the Wellington Arch, it was always likely to be one of the most straightforward of the test events for London 2012 venues.
Race organisers and Olympic officials were delighted with the large crowds and action-packed racing, which was also tested by traditional British summer conditions of snatches of sunshine interspersed with torrential downpours.
Fears that algae growth would cause problems for the 1,500-metre Serpentine swim also proved unfounded and Spaniard Gomez and Olympic champion Jan Frodeno of Germany led the 65-man field out of the water.
The Brownlee brothers, who finished one-two in the Madrid leg of the world series in June, were right behind them as a large group swept out of transition one together.
It did not take long for Alistair Brownlee, the senior brother at 23, to stamp his authority on the race as he led a four-man breakaway a lap into the seven-lap cycling leg.
Bryukhankov, New Zealander James Elvery and former world champion Ivan Rana of Spain were with him and they eventually came in over a minute clear of the chasing pack who failed to get themselves organised enough to mount a worthwhile chase.
GOOD SHAPE
Alistair Brownlee tore out of T2 and within moments was away and clear.
Pounding a relentless pace he was 20 seconds clear of Bryukhankov halfway into the four-lap 10km circuit and had plenty of time to high-five his way down the finishing chute, to the delight of the hardy fans who braved the lashing rain.
"I felt good on the run, I was confident I was in good shape after the work we've put in."
Jonathan Brownlee, 21, posted the day's best run with a 29 minute, 35-seconds-effort to take third ahead of Gomez.
With the race acting as an Olympic qualifier for many nations, athletes were punching the air in celebration all the way down the field as they secured the various criteria needed for selection to return to the same course in less a year.
However, it was a day to forget for Chris McCormack. The 1997 world champion who went on to become a dominant force at the Ironman distance has returned to the Olympic distance this year in an attempt to make the Australian team for London 2012 having been controversially overlooked in 2000.
The 38-year-old came out of the swim way adrift and cut a forlorn figure trailing way beyond the back of the main pack in the bike before dropping out.
