Two-time Olympic triathlon champion Alistair Brownlee has revealed that he will not compete in the sport for the next two years so that he can instead focus on the World Ironman Championships.
The 28-year-old could still take part in the 2020 Games, where he will be bidding for his third gold crown in succession following success in London and Rio in the past four years.
Brownlee is determined to add an ironman medal to his collection, though, and will now take time out focusing on an event that consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile cycle and a full marathon, which is around four times further than an Olympic triathlon.
Speaking to BBC Sport, he said: "I'm going to pursue things away from Olympic triathlon; it's important I have a different focus. I've been to three Olympics and I can't say I won't definitely be at a fourth.
"All triathletes have the ambition to do the almost mystical Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. It's very unlikely that I could do it in the next two years, but I could build up my endurance then maybe go back to it after Tokyo as a 32-year-old."
Brownlee also competed in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, where he finished outside of the medals down in 12th.
