Controversial selection process endorsed by Brownlee brothers

Leeds’s Alistair, 24, and Jonny, 22, are firm favourites for medals at London 2012 but the decision to name Stuart Hayes to help position them for victory caused a media stir.

Will Clarke and Tim Don are more seasoned competitors than Hayes and lodged appeals that they should have been named as the final member of the team.

Those appeals were dismissed and the team stays in place, much to the delight of Alistair, who makes his first appearance at a World Series race in Kitzbuhel this weekend following an Achilles injury.

“It’s interesting that it kicked up such a storm,” said the two-time world and European champion. “There’s only been negative press about it, but you don’t necessarily pick the three best athletes – you pick the best team.

“Myself, Jonny and Stuart will be Great Britain’s best chance of winning a medal. If you pick the three best athletes you might not have that chance.

“If you’re a football manager and your three best players are goalkeepers, you wouldn’t pick them just because of that, you’d pick the best team.

“Some people have missed the Olympics and that’s disappointing but I feel it’s a massive step forward for British triathlon that they are picking a team purely for performance.

“It is a difficult decision for them to have made because it would have been easier to not pick that team.

“But no-one has come out and said that the team selected is not the one most likely to win a medal – and that says more than anything.”

Jonny Brownlee spoke in support of the motion before it had happened, following his victory in the World Series event in Madrid last month.

Jonny has made hay in the absence of Alistair, who only returned to competitive action at Blenheim 10 days ago when the brothers crossed the line together. While doing that in the Olympic triathlon through Hyde Park on August 7 is unlikely given what is at stake and the brothers’ determination to each be a champion, the team selection at least gives them a better chance of standing on the podium together.

Jonny – who has won in San Diego as well as Madrid – said: “It’s good that the focus is on winning medals, it’s an exciting new step.

“And it’s good for the two of us because we want to go to the Olympics to win a medal.”