Olympic gold medalist and University of Leeds graduate Alastair Brownlee has been awarded an MBE.

Brownlee, 24, was personally awarded the MBE by the Queen in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, after winning gold in Triathlon at the London 2012 Games last summer.

Brownlee, who graduated from the University in 2010 with a degree in Sport Science & Physiology, is the first British athlete to win a medal in the sport since it was introduced for the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

Brownlee initially took up studying Medicine at Cambridge, moved to the University of Leeds to focus on training for the triathlon.

Also competing in the Triathlon in London was his brother and fellow Leeds graduate Jonathan Brownlee, who took Bronze. The brothers were the first British siblings to share a podium in over a century.

Describing the ceremony, Brownlee said, “We came right outside Buckingham Palace. A lot of people at the investiture said they saw me racing. That’s cool.”

He added,

“It was fantastic, but it’s time to set the next goal. That’s what being an athlete’s all about – setting yourself the next goal and achieving that.”

Phil Mann