Schoeman wins big race as Brit flakes out

20 September 2016 - 10:15 By Reuters, Sports staff

Olympic bronze medallist Henri Schoeman won the grand finale of the World Triathlon Series, but Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee of Britain took centre stage after stopping to help his ailing brother, Jonny, the runner-up in Rio. Heading into the final race of the season on the Mexican island of Cozumel, victory would have handed Jonny the world title and with just under a kilometre to go, victory was firmly in his grasp as he led by 50m.But dazed by the heat and reeling from exhaustion, Jonny began to wander across the road, allowing Durban-based Schoeman to overtake him in the final stretch of the 10km run to win on the day.Alistair, who was running in third place, caught hold of his disoriented brother, wrapping an arm around his shoulder to take his weight over the final few metres, before pushing Jonny over the finish line ahead of himself."I wish the flipping idiot had paced it right and crossed the finish line first," Alistair told reporters after the race as Jonny was given medical treatment."He could have jogged that last 2km and won the race. You have to race the conditions."Alistair said he had been in a similar position in London a few years earlier."I remember being in second place and then coming around and someone telling me I was in 10th," he said."I couldn't remember all of those people passing me. So I swore that, literally, if it happened to anyone I would help them across the line ..."I think it's as close to death as you can be in sport." Jonny was hospitalised.Schoeman's compatriot, Richard Murray, ended fourth, just as he did in Rio de Janeiro.Murray's training partner, Spaniard Mario Mola, finished fifth to clinch the series, just four points ahead of Jonny."This was not how I wanted to win the world championship," Mola said.Schoeman ended fourth overall and Murray fifth.After the 1.5km swim the Brownlee brothers were in the leading pack that headed into the second transition one minute 39 seconds ahead.Jonny, 26, set the pace heading into the final run, but Schoeman stayed in touch, eventually capitalising on the Briton's exhaustion to clinch his first world triathlon series win."I felt really gutted for Jonny," said Schoeman. "When Ali pulled over to help him I knew I had won. It's not the way to win but I had timed and best prepared my race."Schoeman had spoken to Alistair since. "He says I deserved the win."..

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