Dan Dixon has been announced as replacing Jonny Brownlee following the injury he sustained at AJ Bell 2022 World Triathlon Championship Series in June.
Dixon, from Northumberland, has represented Britain at the junior and senior level in recent years, winning a junior continental title in Hungary last year before making his World Triathlon Championship Series debut in Hamburg as part of the mixed relay team last September.
The 2021 British Triathlon junior and senior elite national champion was also one of only a handful of athletes to receive the Sir John Hanson Scholarship, providing funding and support to young athletes seeking to represent Team England.
Team England announced triathletes, paratriathletes and guides in January, April and earlier in July, with Dixon selected as reserve athlete during the final selection process in mid-June in line with the selection policy. The policy used races up to and including the event in Leeds to determine selection of a reserve athlete.
His call up comes following the withdrawal of Jonny Brownlee due to injury. The three-time Olympic medallist was injured during a crash during June’s race in Leeds, with Birmingham 2022 coming too soon for his full recovery.
Despite only turning 20 this year, Dixon has amassed a wealth of international racing experience. On top of representing Great Britain, he has competed in the French Grand Prix and at Super League Triathlon events including this year’s Arena Games as part of World Triathlon’s esport triathlon World Championships.
Dixon’s selection means that the three men to race for Team England in triathlon will be Alex Yee, Sam Dickinson and Dixon.
Speaking about his selection, Dixon said: “At 20 years old, after doing this for 11 years, so more than half of my life, it is by far and away the most proud moment of my career. It’s pretty exceptional and I’m honestly so excited to represent Team England at a home Games.
“It’s a real shame to not see Jonny compete and I wish him a speedy recovery. It is a really, really unique opportunity and I’m looking forward to actually experiencing and learning and taking away as much as I can from the Games.
“I want to thank everyone who’s supported me in my career so far. Family, friends, practitioners, coaches, it’s an absolute honour to compete and I want to recognise and thank them for getting me to this position.”
Team Leader for Triathlon and Paratriathlon for Team England, Jonathon Riall said: “Dan is a really exciting young triathlete who already has a lot of experience.
“He’s a committed and intelligent racer and I’m sure the opportunity to compete in Birmingham in-front of a home crowd will be a great stepping stone in his career. Dan has demonstrated his ability across swim, bike, run and with the strength he shows in the water, this provides us with the opportunity for him to support Alex and Sam at the front of the race.
“The principles underpinning our selection policy for reserve athletes were their ability to assist in the relay or individual race , through fulfilling a specific role if needed in Birmingham, but also to aid the development of one of our next generation athletes. We believe Dan, with his specific swim, bike, run profile, is the perfect mix to support our plans in Birmingham and use the opportunity to learn for future competitions.
“We all share in Jonny’s disappointment and I know how much Jonny was looking forward to competing in Birmingham, but unfortunately, despite the support and treatment he’s had, the injury he sustained in Leeds means this won’t be possible. We all wish him well with his continued recovery and to getting back on a start line later in the year.”
