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Brownlee's new secret weapon

Team sports litter the Olympic landscape and we are about to discover another. Triathlon has always been a sport for individuals. Not so now. The ITU format has leant itself to the notion that team work is ok. This will become evident if UK triathlon have their way. The UK will be also hoping that their new secret weapon will be the difference between a gold medal performance and another failed attempt to reach the top of the podium. What we are writing about is nothing new and should certainly be the norm by the time we get to London 2012.

Think about this scenario. Alistair Brownlee exiting the water with none other than Phil Graves. The two of them are in the bunch with Graves playing the role of super domestique. He covers the moves, no one is allowed to go off the front, and then he pilots Brownlee around the course keeping him out of trouble until the run. Brownlee then jumps off at T2 and is never seen again. A perfect scenario. Find one of the strongest guys in the world on two wheels and then add Brownlee's running prowess and the British must be just punching the air with this thought.

And if you think this is fanciful then think again. Graves is on the Olympic squad and in an interview with UK tri site www.24/7 Graves has stated "I think the ITU stuff will help me in the years ahead and it gives me the opportunity to try and gain selection for the Olympics. The Olympics will only be in my home country once in my career and its something that I don't want to just let pass, I would love to represent my country at the most important sporting event in the world."

A perfect plan that has been demonstrated to have worked well before. The Russians are known to have organised races and even the Aussies were thought to have used Simon Thompson at the Commonwealth Games to launch eventual winner Brad Kahlefeldt. This concept is not new but does it raise an obvious triathlon ethics question?

The most obvious one is that is this correct according to the triathlon morality register? Triathlon is an individual sport and since it's inception it has been treated as this. The evolution of the Olympic Distance and then the Olympic package where triathlon officials were told the race had an broadcast window of 2 hours to get done including interviews the writing was on the wall that this would move to the next step. Countries would get organised and then races would start to run along the lines of cycling events. A star and a support crew. So is it wrong then? Apart from defying the natural laws of the sport?

But is this cry of foul not overstepping the mark a little? We quite happily watch the Tour de France each year and see how the big favorites are 'dropped off' at the foot of the climbs to go it alone, not too dissimilar to ITU racing. So why should it be any different to the ITU? it is not like they are doing anything illegal. The battle lines have been drawn and everyone knows the score. In the scenario we have made with Phil Graves and Brownlee the run is still up to the latter. Short of Graves giving him a piggy back, the running prowess of Brownlee and him alone will get him to the line.

At the end of the day it still requires the individual athlete to complete the distance however the concept of using the likes of Phil Graves is a great idea.There is also the thought that Brownlee really doesn't need the Phil Graves lead out. That he has been doing ok on his own. Still, when n Olympic Games is on your doorstep you don't take chances.