London 2012: Bronze triathlete Jonathan Brownlee assumed his gold-winning brother Alistair had been penalised during race, not him

Jonathan Brownlee, left, celebrates his bronze medal while his brother Alistair shows off his gold (Getty Images)

Traithlete Jonathan Brownlee, who came third in yesterday's men's triathlon says that he believed his eventual gold-winning brother Alistair had been penalised during the race at first, when in fact it was himself that had to take a 15 second time-out.

Jonathan said his first thought when he saw that contestant 31 had been given a 15-second penalty was, “Oh, No 31 — Alistair’s got a penalty, what an idiot.”

But when he looked at his arms to check his race number he realised he had incurred the penalty. He said: “I had never got a time penalty in a triathlon race before, and my mind was in overdrive. I haven’t seen the replays yet, but I’ve been told my foot was on the line when I got on my bike in transition. Either way, it’s not like you can appeal to an official when you’re going 30mph.”

Despite the penalty, Jonathan, 22, still managed third place while Alistair, 24, took the gold.

He said: “Being on the podium was fantastic and thrilling. I wasn’t sure what to do. Should I smile? Should I sing? I was trying to absorb everything — the crowds, the anthem, two British flags rising into the sky.”