Paris 2024: “I’m the best person for the job in Paris,” says Sam Dickinson

He’s hopeful that there will be a Paris success story to surpass it in the coming weeks, but for now Sam Dickinson will be known as the triathlete who ended the Brownlee brothers’ Olympics odyssey.

With GB earning only two spots for male triathletes at the Games and excelling on the mixed team relay alongside Alex Yee the primary requirement, it was Dickinson who edged out three-time Olympic medal winner Jonny Brownlee in a decision performance director Mike Cavendish quantified as “incredible close.”

Does it add more pressure to the 27-year-old knowing that any slip in Paris will be scrutinised by critics saying experience should have held sway over youth?

“My job was to be the best Sam Dickinson I could be,” he says. “Luckily, I think the selectors gave me the nod because they also believe that in Paris I’ll be the best person for Team GB.

“Jonny has been fantastic for the sport, created a massive legacy, is a big reason as to why I’m in the sport, and I have the utmost respect for him.

“That being said, the job is in Paris, and the selectors have decided that I am the best person for the job. I couldn’t be happier and I’m looking forward to getting stuck in.”

Relay focus

With Yee the lone British male showing enough potential to win a medal in the individual race, Dickinson may have a supporting or pilot role to assist, but his chief focus will be on leg one or leg three of the relay as GB look to defend the title they won in Tokyo.

“It is a real medal opportunity,” Dickinson adds. “I’ll get to race in the individual race although I don’t know what my role is yet, but the training I’m doing is geared towards delivering a world class relay leg.”

Dickinson has performed in relays on big stages before, being part of an England quartet that won Commonwealth gold in 2022 and a GB quartet team that came second in the World Championship in Montreal a month earlier, which qualified them for Paris.

He was given the good news of selection after winning a super sprint race in Kielce, Poland when he out-sprinted Jonny Brownlee in the final, after both men had won their respective semi-finals. Both had been encouraged to go to the continental cup race by selectors to prove their worth for the relay.

Getting the news

“We all knew we were going to get a group email because that’s how these things are put out,” he explains.

“I was still in Kielce. Dad and mum were over the moon, as were friends and family and all who have seen me on this journey. I started triathlon when I was about 15, but they’d been taking me to swimming lessons from when I was about four.”

While there was nothing specific in the selection policy to say first across the line in Poland would gain the second men’s spot, does he believe that result clinched it?

“Without Kelce it would have been a much harder decision because it was the first time you’d seen Jonny and myself go head-to-head, but I think it was probably more the run of consistency since the start of the year.”

Dickinson, who has struggled with injury in previous season, had delivered consistent top 10 performances in Agadir, Napier, Lievin and the e-sports Arena Games in London in more recent races, and although he pulled out in Cagliari on the run, showed his hand as a willing pilot for Yee on the bike leg.

Yet as he surged in front of Brownlee over the final yards in Kielce, something other than Olympic qualification was on his mind.

“To win a race is really hard, especially at the level we compete at. It’s no easy feat in any race, whether you are an age-grouper or moving up through the sports.

“To be in that position to win races is something I’ve been lucky enough to do from a junior moving through, and my win percentage is quite healthy because I’ve raced at the right level at the right time.

“I raced a Continental Cup season in 2019 where I was at the front and learnt how to win races, so to be back in the mix to win again, I went straight back to my training and forgot about what was on the line. I knew I had good legs, so I told myself: ‘Don’t mess it up. Make sure you get to the finish line first.’”

Decisions still need to be made

While his role for the individual race hasn’t been defined, it will be by the time they line up on the pontoon, and whether he takes on leg one of leg three of the relay is another call to be made.

“I’ve been leg three and done it very well at the Commonwealth Games and Hamburg World Series and I’ve been leg one in Napier and put 30sec into the field by ripping it apart,” he explains.

“For leg one the demands are a bit more set because everyone starts at the same time, you can guarantee that everyone is coming out of the swim close together, and if it comes down to a run you need to be able to hand over in a good position.

“On leg three, it might be a solo time-trial, racing in a bunch or having to chase on. I don’t have a preference, I’m just glad I get the chance.”

Coached by British Triathlon’s head coach Rhys Davey, who he credits as “fantastic”, Dickinson has also signed for Team BMC, who predominantly concentrate on long-distance racing.

He has completed one Ironman 70.3, finishing second in Bahrain at the end of 2022, and after the Olympics he will head to the European Championships in Estonia before enjoying some non-drafting competition.

First though it is the big challenge of Paris and the task in hand.

“You’ve heard every endurance athlete talk about it but consistency is the key. I’ve got to stay healthy first of all. My swim, bike and run are in good places and I don’t have any obvious weaknesses, but you can always improve.

“No-one new turns up to the Olympics. You’ve raced them all before and you’ll probably race them all again. It’s just focusing on being the best individual athlete I can be.”

220’s prediction for Sam Dickinson in Paris

The pressure will be on Dickinson not to make any mistakes, but in the heat of the moment there are no guarantees. He can’t win the medal for GB, but he can lose it, yet his form and confidence suggest whether leg one or leg three, he’ll be taking a step on to the podium with his team-mates in Paris.