Brownlee brothers rewrite triathlon script

Just like four years ago in London, Alistair Brownlee grabbed a British flag, slowed to a trot and then walked across the finish line to win the gold medal in the men’s Olympic triathlon.

He dropped to the ground in exhaustion — again.

Only this time, moments later he got celebrate with his little brother.

Jonathan Brownlee upgraded his bronze from 2012 to silver yesterday. Plus, he didn’t need medical attention after finishing the race at a cloudless Copacabana Beach as he did after his run through Hyde Park, which delayed both his celebration and the medal ceremony.

The pair broke away halfway through the 10km run and Alistair Brownlee finished in 1hr 45min 1sec, ahead of his brother, who is two years younger, by 6sec.

They stayed on the ground for a long time, then embraced each other.

“That was a lot more emotional that I’ve ever been before,” the younger brother said. “In London, gold and bronze were incredible but it wasn’t gold and silver. And to achieve that . . . you literally could do no better.”

They had already hopped to their feet by the time Henri Schoeman of South Africa came in 42sec later for bronze.

Sibling rivalries aren’t usually played out like this on the Olympic stage, but it’s actually a moment they thought they might have a chance at four years ago.

“It was flipping close in the end and then Javier Gomez Noya got between us,” Alistair Brownlee said. “Today I knew if it went right, we could do it.”

The silver medallist at the London Games, however, wasn’t in the field after breaking his left arm two months ago while training for Rio, opening the way for this 1- 2 finish by the Brownlee brothers.

Alistair Brownlee said he didn’t plan out the replica finish with the flag and the slowing to a trot. He visualises everything else about the race, the one- loop ocean swim, the steep, hilly, 38.8km bike ride and the 10km run, but not the ending or the elation.

“I never allow myself to think about crossing the finish line,” he said. “You just do it.”

Ben Kanute of the US got an upclose look at the Brownlees, staying with them coming out of the water and dismounting his bike before fading halfway through the gruelling run and tottering across in 29th place.

“I put myself in a position to finish really well, but that was some of the hardest swimming and biking I’ve ever done,” Kanute said.

Schoeman, who reached the podium for the first time in a major race, said come Tokyo in 2020 he might be able to hang with the Brownlee brothers.

“Maybe in four years’ time, I’ll give them a go for that gold.”