By Laura Williamson
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In London's Hyde Park on Sunday, two brothers will compete in the World Triathlon Series Grand Final.
On the course where he won Olympic gold last summer, Alistair Brownlee will bid to wrest the world title from Jonathan, two years his junior.
It is a fascinating battle between two Yorkshire-born brothers who share so much and yet remain such talented individuals.
VIDEO: Scroll down for a a video interview with the Brownlee brothers
Back to the scene: Jonathan (left) and Alistair Brownlee return to Hyde Park for the World Triathlon Series Grand Final on Sunday looking to repeat their heroics from 12 months ago
Medal success: Jonathan (left) won bronze in the Triathlon at the 2012 Olympics, while Alistair (right) won gold
Jonny won Olympic bronze in London behind Alistair and Spain?s Javier Gomez, who could steal the world championship from both brothers on Sunday.
The younger Brownlee was given a 15-second time penalty and collapsed after the finish line, ending up ?in bed with a thermometer stuck up my a***?, such was the toll the final 10km run had taken on his wiry frame.
WATCH: Interview with the Brownlee brothers ahead of the World Triathlon Series
Chasing Alistair is something Jonny has had to cope with all his life, from the ?five or six-hour walks? the Brownlee family used to take, to Sunday?s race for the world title. Jonny laughs as he admits it is ?almost forgotten? he is the world champion, such was the brothers? focus on London 2012.
He believes he can beat Alistair on Sunday, having seen his older brother endure a ?nightmare year? in which he has suffered recurrent knee and ankle problems.
Yet Jonny freely admits Alistair has made him a better athlete, and speaks almost reverentially about his older brother.
Rival: Spain's Javier Gomez (left), who won silver last summer, will provide stiff competition again on Sunday
?It still shocks me,? he says, ?that, on the most nerve-racking day in our life as sportsmen at the Olympics, I was standing on the start line next to my brother. It was a bit weird, like my first day at junior school when Alistair came with me on the school bus. It was like, ?He?s there again?. It was quite a nice, comforting feeling, but it?s also a strange feeling. I still haven?t quite got over it.
?But Alistair has definitely made me a better athlete. I would not be here without Alistair. For a young athlete, to see your brother win the junior world championships in 2006 was like, ?Wow. My brother?s a world champion. World champions aren?t weird people who have scary skinny legs?. That?s when I thought I could be really good at this as well.?
There is a modest acknowledgement, however, that Jonny has played his part in Alistair?s? success, too. ?Alistair wouldn?t like to say,? adds Jonny, quickly, ?but I think I definitely have. Sometimes more than he appreciates.
?It?s hard being the older brother because you?re constantly getting chased all the time, but I?m definitely the person who, every time he slacks a little bit, pushes him on.
Ahead: Jonathan doesn't just have Gomez in his sights on Sunday... the Brownlee brothers want individual victory
?When I?m behind him, does he run two per cent harder because he doesn?t want to get caught? Every time he slackens off a bit he learns things from me.?
Alistair?s response to the same question is much more measured: Jonny has helped him only? ?to an extent?, although he concedes the pair have ?pushed each other?.
Alistair adds his Olympic experience would have been ?tinged with disappointment? had Jonny not been alongside him on the podium.
The extraordinary high of victory at a home Games was followed by a period of soul-searching but Alistair now believes his Olympic title gives him an ?underlying satisfaction and calmness? to carry on. This enables him to shrug his shoulders and say that, if he does not win on Sunday, ?there will be other years?.
All yours: Alistair is congratulated by Gomez in Hyde Park after his gold medal win last summer
However, the? Olympic champion is leading the race for the world championship by 55 points. It is this ability to perform when you are not at your best that, he says, is the difference between a good athlete and a great one.
?We talk so much about wanting to have your best day at the Olympics or the World Series final, but the question to me actually is, ?What happens when you haven?t had the perfect build-up and you haven?t had the perfect day? Can you still perform on that stage on that day??.
?I think that is what distinguishes people from being good and really good.?
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Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee are BT Ambassadors. They will compete to become the 2013 World Triathlon Champion at Hyde Park, London on Sunday 15th September
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