“As a family, we were always active. Lots of walking, lots of running as well as …” — Alistair Brownlee

I wanted to be an endurance athlete from a young age. I remember being in a careers class at school and saying I wanted to be a professional athlete and the teacher replying, 'You're not going to make it; it's not possible.'

Rio was always going to be on the schedule for me, whether I had won in London or not. Triathlon is one of those sports where the Olympics is always the most important and the most interesting race, and I always wanted to have a crack at Rio and defend my title.

It's better to train for 4-5 hours a week than to do ten hours one week then nothing for two weeks. It helps your body adapt and also maintains your fitness.