TALK about a stroke of genius… because superstar triathlete Alistair Brownlee has turned his GARAGE into a swimming pool!
Double Olympic champion Alistair, 31, came up with the canny idea when he moved house before the coronavirus lockdown.
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Alistair Brownlee has converted his garage into a swimming poolCredit: SWNS:South West News Service
And it means he can keep motoring on with his swim training while sport remains on shutdown.
Alistair and brother Jonny, 29, were due to be competing this weekend in Bermuda at the ITU World Triathlon Series and Olympic qualifiers.
Triathlon chiefs may be forced to scrap their season, while Tokyo 2020 has been put back a year.
But it appears Alistair’s bid for a third Olympic gold is going swimmingly.
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He said: “I am just doing what I can, and what I have always done, while respecting all the guidelines.”
Indeed, Alistair used a similar training technique in his GARDEN while recovering from an Achilles injury before his gold medal antics at the London 2012 Olympics.
He explained: “It was really, really crucial. For a period of six weeks, I couldn’t do any running training as such.
“It meant that I could do my running while the Achilles fully recovered.
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“This works on a similar basis. It’s like swimming against the tide in a fast flowing river.
“All I’m doing is swimming on the spot while the water is moving around me.
“Since I was eight, I have gone swimming every day – the pool at Aireborough Leisure Centre, with school and with the triathlon squads.
“It means I can swim 40 to 45 minutes each morning.
“[Postponed Olympics?] The week before I heard about the cancellation, I was feeling fit and as good as I’ve felt for some time.
“Hopefully I will be in a good place to give it a shout next year.”
Brownlee is able to continue his training during lockdownCredit: SWNS:South West News Service
Brownlee used a similar technique in his garden to train for the 2012 Games with an Achilles injuryCredit: SWNS:South West News Service
Incredible scenes as Alistair Brownlee helps ‘idiot’ brother Jonny over the line in triathlon
Source: Athletics - thesun.co.uk
