THEY provided one of the most memorable moments of London 2012, and Yorkshire’s all-conquering Brownlee brothers are determined to repeat their triathlon heroics when they return to Olympic competition this summer.

Four years ago, Alistair claimed Olympic gold, with his younger brother, Jonny, picking up a bronze medal in a thrilling triathlon event staged in Hyde Park.

Having forced his way into a leading pack of five following the swimming leg in the Serpentine, Alistair moved into pole position during the cycle and raced home to claim gold with his 10km run only a minute-and-a-half slower than Mo Farah’s gold-medal winning time over the same distance on the track.

Since then, the 28-year-old, who is based at Bramhope in West Yorkshire, has cemented his position at the top of the world rankings, winning gold medals at both the 2014 World Championships and the same year’s Commonwealth Games.

He will travel to Rio as a strong favourite to retain his title, with some of his toughest competition likely to once again come from within the family.

Jonny, who is two years younger than his brother, finished just behind Alastair in the Commonwealth Games individual event, and was part of England’s victorious team in Glasgow.

He should be a medal contender once again in Rio, although with Alastair conceding the course is “very different” to London, neither brother will be taking anything for granted following today’s official announcement of Britain’s triathlon squad for the Games.

“I think it’s fair to say things have got a bit closer over the last few years, but I don’t think we’ve all performed to the best of our abilities, and if that happens in Rio, the podium will be the same,” said Alistair.

“I think it will be a good, hard race, and a very different race in Rio. Even if the podium positions end up looking very much the same, I’m sure the race itself is going to be very different.

“It’s an honour to be a defending champion returning to the Olympic Games, and I intend to make the absolute best of the opportunity in Rio.”

Another Yorkshireman, Gordon Benson, who hails from Halifax, makes up the men’s squad, with Vicky Holland, Non Stanford and Helen Jenkins selected for the women’s event.

Holland, who now lives in Leeds, will be looking to build on her first ITU Series titles in Cape Town and Edmonton last year, with the 30-year-old having soared up the world rankings in the four-year period since the London Games.

“Four years ago, I was in a very different position,” said Holland. “I was part of the team in a supporting role for Helen, but things have changed for me in the last two years.

“My move to Leeds has been the catalyst for things in my career, and in Rio I’ve got far loftier ambitions than 26th place this time around.”

Stanford did not compete at London, but the 27-year-old will start as a lively outsider in Rio, with triathlon looking like one of Team GB’s strongest suits.

“It’s a dream to be going to the Olympics, and to be part of such a strong British team,” she said. “There’s some hard miles to be done in the lead up, but I’m proud to be part of Team GB and looking forward to my first Games.”

Having performed so impressively four years ago, the Brownless in particular will be under considerable pressure to live up to their billing in Brazil, but Mark England, the British Olympic Association’s Chef de Mission, is confident all six triathletes will cope.

“I would like to congratulate these six athletes on securing Olympic selection for Rio 2016 and welcome them all onto Team GB,” said England. “At London 2012 we won our first medals in triathlon and, since then, we have gone from strength to strength as a nation.

“As Olympic medallists, both Alistair and Jonny bring an incredible pedigree to the team, and Gordon’s European Games triumph in Baku last year means the men’s team is very strong.

“Non, Vicky and Helen have all tasted World Championships success, and I’m sure will go into the Games in great form and full of confidence.”