The World Triathlon series in Mexico had a dramatic ending to it as Alistair Brownlee collapsed near the finish line, only to finish the race with the help of his brother, John. John Brownlee threw his brother over the finish line such that Alistair came second followed by himself at third.
The race was being held in the claustrophobic weather conditions of Cozumel, a small Mexican Island in the Carribean Sea. The heat along with the humidity made it difficult for the participants to maintain their stamina.
The Brownlee brothers, both of them being medalling Olympians, were favourites to finish on the podium. Alistair had earlier won the gold medal in the Rio Olympics while his younger brother, Jonny won the silver.
With the last 700m remaining of the race, Alistair, who was then leading the race, started struggling. He was soon overtaken by South African Henri Schoeman, who went on to win the race.
The intense humidity had taken its toll on the elder brother as he began weaving across the road and looked as pale as a sheet. With his eyes rolling back, it was clear that he was close to blacking out.
However, Jonny, who was in the third position, came to his brother's aid as he stopped Alistair from collapsing. Jonny propped his brother up for the final few metres and amid wild cheers helped him over the finish line.
Jonny spoke about the incident later and humbly claimed that it was "a natural human reaction", explaining that he'd have "done the same thing for anyone in that position."
Alistair was grateful to his brother and expressed his thankfulness on Twitter commending his brother's loyalty.
Schoeman may have won the race, but the Brownlee brothers won hearts and certainly showed the world what family means. The Brownlee brothers have shown the true spirit of sportsmanship.
