Olympic Men's Triathlon 2012: Brownlee Brothers Win Gold and Bronze Medals

In one of the best stories of the 2012 Summer Olympics so far, Great Britain stars Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee won the gold and bronze medals respectively in the men’s triathlon on Tuesday.

The brothers finished just 31 seconds apart—Alistair finished with a time of 1:46:25 and Jonathan finished with a 1:46:56—but it would have been even closer if it wasn’t for a 15-second penalty Jonathan was docked on the transfer from the swim to the bikes.

As much as silver medalist and Spanish star Javier Gomez deserves immense credit for his stellar performance, the celebration in this event is all about the hometown hero Brownlee brothers.

That has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?

What It Means

As great as the story is of two brothers dominating the way the Brownlee bothers did, they are ranked as the No. 1 (Alistair) and No. 2 (Jonathan) triathletes in the world and were expected to be this good.

If any portion of this story deserves more credit than it’s getting, it is Gomez unseating one of the two favorites on their home territory. That's what Spain will be talking about!

Either way, these triathletes deserve so much credit for the intense amount of work they have to put into this wild event.

Swimming, then cycling, then a run—no thanks!

What’s Next?

The brother duo has been dominating the sport of triathlon for the past three years—with both winning medals in almost every event they have entered together—and the fact that they are only in their early 20s means the dominance is just beginning.

If you follow triathlons at all, you already knew who these men were and what they were going to do.

For those that are just casual fans, you will hear about the Brownlee brothers for years to come.

Check back for more on the 2012 Summer Olympics as it comes, and don’t miss Bleacher Report’s Olympics page to get your fill of the best athletes the world has to offer.

Follow @Donald_Wood