Alistair Brownlee pulls out of home World Triathlon Series

The Yorkshire native missed the second half of 2017 after undergoing hip surgery, though he did take to the Gold Coast start line for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, where he finished tenth in the men's race and took silver in the team relay.

Yet with injuries proving more frequent than he would like, the double Olympic champion has decided not to compete in Leeds without a strong run of form behind him.

"Unfortunately I've had to pull out of World Tri Leeds next weekend," tweeted Alistair.

"I've had a few niggles and won't be able to compete to the best of my ability. I'll be cheering hard on the sidelines."

Leeds is staging the British leg of the series for the third consecutive year with Brownlee having won both the 2016 and 2017 events, twice beating his brother, Jonny, into second place.

The door is therefore open for the younger Brownlee sibling to take a win of his own on home soil, though Jonny admitted disappointment at not taking to the start line alongside his brother.

Triathlon in the United Kingdom is set for a busy week, with Nottingham welcoming prospective Tokyo 2020 Olympians on Thursday to the inaugural World Triathlon Mixed Relay.