Alistair Brownlee is OUT of Sub7
Brit Alistair Brownlee is set to miss the Sub7 challenge just one month on from missing St George with an illness...
Alistair Brownlee is out of next week’s Pho3nix Sub7 attempt due to a stress response in his hip that requires immediate treatment.
Brownlee had been set to go toe-to-toe with Olympic and recently crowned Ironman world champion Kristian Blummenfelt in Germany on the weekend in an attempt to be the first athlete to complete a full-distance triathlon in under seven hours.
The news comes just a month on from the Ironman World Championship in St George, which Brownlee also had to pull out of in the days leading up to the race due to illness.
Fellow Brit Joe Skipper has been drafted in as a last-minute replacement.
Speaking about the news, Brownlee said: “Honestly, I’m devastated. I was frustrated to miss St George, and now this. I’m gutted.
“I was so invested in the process and loved working with my team. This was the goal that stimulated me again in the sport, on par with the Olympics. I’ll do what I can to support Joe.”
Skipper also missed the Ironman World Championship in May after contracting Covid-19 in the weeks before the race and not having enough time to get back up to speed.
The last-minute change adds an extra layer of rivalry to the challenge following Skipper’s comments on how he thought the Norwegians (Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden) would perform in St George.
Speaking to 220, Skipper questioned the hype around the athletes and explained why he thought it wasn’t a sure thing for the Ironman World Champs. Blummenfelt subsequently reacted in a training video, before the two exchanged taunts in later videos released on the official Pho3nix Sub7Sub8 accounts.
In that interview with 220, Skipper was also asked whether or not he thought he could complete the challenge. “Yes, I think so,” he said. “But it’ll be harder than people think. I did a bit of pacing with Alistair and it’s not easy to sit in [on the bike] on the course we tried. It all comes down to the bike.
“If the bike is around 3:40– 3:45hrs [for 112miles] and they save enough energy, I think it’s do-able, but it’ll be fascinating to see. But it’s not just about going Sub-7 but beating the other team.”
Alongside the Sub7 attempt, Nicola Spirig and Kat Matthews – who’ll replace an injured Lucy Charles-Barclay – will also be going head to head, attempting to finish the same distance under eight hours.
Top image credit: Nigel Roddis/Getty Images for Ironman
Rob Slade
