Council leader offers congratulations to Leeds based triathletes after Olympic gold medal success

Great Britain added to its medal haul with a gold in the first-ever mixed triathlon relay in Tokyo this weekend as Jess Learmonth, Jonny Brownlee, Georgia Taylor-Brown and Alex Yee helped Team GB to first place ahead of the US and France.

The win means GB finished top of the medal table for the triathlon, with their gold in the team and two silvers in the men's and women's races for Yee and Taylor-Brown respectively.

The individual events feature a 1.5km swim, 40km cycle and 10km run, but for the relay each leg is shortened to a 300m swim, 6.8km cycle and 2km run.

After an excellent first leg from Learmonth, Brownlee broke away from the pack and individual women's silver medallist Taylor-Brown and Yee maintained the advantage to secure Britain's third triathlon medal of the week.

Having claimed bronze in London nine years ago and silver in Rio behind his brother Alistair, Brownlee finished fifth in the individual race on Monday.

He was born and educated in Leeds and is coached by Malcolm Brown and Jack Maitland at the British Triathlon Federation's High Performance Centre, based at Leeds Metropolitan University's Carnegie Centre.

Following their success this weekend, Coun James Lewis said: "I would like to offer on behalf of the city of Leeds, huge congratulations to triathletes Jonny Brownlee, Jess Learmonth, Georgia Taylor-Brown and Leeds Beckett University student Alex Yee on their wonderful gold medal in the Olympic mixed relay event.

"We are extremely proud of the rich history and pedigree that Leeds has in triathlon, and to see therefore four athletes with ties to the city win gold in one single event is a truly unforgettable moment.

"On a final note, I would like to pay special tribute to Jonny on his gold medal. He is not just a wonderful athlete but also a great role model and ambassador for Leeds. This gold is the icing on the cake on what has been a sensational career in the sport for Jonny and is richly deserved."