It was all going so well for British triathlete Jonny Brownlee. He was approaching the final kilometre of the final race in the World Triathlon Series, and he was in first place. ‘And then it all kind of fell apart,’ he told the BBC. ‘I remember my legs going a little bit wobbly and thinking: ‘I’m not going to make it to the finish line’.’
He stumbled towards the side of the road, heading for total collapse... but then... something wonderful happened. Fellow triathlete, Alastair, swooped to his rescue. Gathering him up under his arm, Alastair charged towards the finish line, dragging Jonny with him before pushing him forwards, so that he (Jonny) finished in second place, ahead of himself (Alastair) in third. (Triathlete Mario Mola just managed to overtake the pair to finish first.) It was possibly one of the greatest examples of sportsmanship we’ve seen in recent times, made arguably greater by one fact: Jonny and Alastair were brothers.
‘Alistair had the chance to win but threw that away to help me out,’ Jonny told the BBC. ‘I'll be thankful for the rest of my life.’
Enabling a sibling to beat you is a kind-hearted move, undoubtedly, but what makes this incident so newsworthy is factoring in what the brothers were there to do: compete. Competitiveness lies at the heart of sports, and is arguably the driving force behind every successful athlete. What gets them through training, day after day? What wills them to push through pain barriers, again and again? The prospect of winning, naturally – the podium, that gold.
To give it all up (when you can almost smell the finish line) not just to help a fellow competitor in distress, but a younger sibling no less, is a remarkable demonstration of selflessness... remarkable, because rivlary between siblings is natural. And we only need look at the animal kingdom to know it. A brood of chicks, for instance, will compete for food, territory and parental attention from the moment they hatch. To varying degrees, humans do the same. How many of us, as children, complained if our siblings got a larger slice of cake, a bigger bedroom, higher praise for their homework?
How many of us complain still? (AS A JOKE, OBVIOUSLY. Sort of...)
Every year, studies emerge claiming to have found common traits in siblings according to their order of birth. Last year, for instance, research from the University of Leipzig suggested that eldest children have a higher IQs than second-eldest children, and that second-eldest children have a higher IQs than third, and so on. However, a study conducted by Cambridge University earlier this year, also claimed that second-eldest children are actually more likely to be successful than their elder sibling.
Whether either – or even both – are true is not the issue here; what’s relevant is that the very existence of such studies, and the fact they make the news, demonstrates what interest there is in pitching siblings against one another.
In some instances, rivalry can be beneficial – if utilised in the right way. Anyone who has witnessed Venus and Serena Williams battle it out for the Wimbledon Championship (in 2002, 2003, 2008, and 2009) knows that it can be electrifying to watch athletes from the same family compete head to head. ‘When we play against each other, we always raise each other's game,’ Venus commented last year.
That said, there can be massive downsides to such competitiveness too, specifically if it's born out parental favouritism (or lack there of). A study from the University of California published earlier this year, revealed most parents have a favourite child. Unsurprisingly, there is evidence of low self-esteem in the non-favourite. Arguments, lifelong rifts, divisions of whole families can emerge from sibling rivalries. They can be dangerously destructive.
However...
When siblings live in harmony together, the results can be life-enhancing. Research proves it. In 1938, the Harvard Study of Adult Development began what was to become a 75-year survey. Following two groups of men as they aged, each individual was questioned at staged intervals to decipher what ultimately kept them healthy and happy. The study concluded recently that a close relationship with a sibling reduced the likelihood of depression later in life. A very fine result.
Of course, we only need look at A-lister siblings ‘at one’ with each other, to see that this might be true. Take the Kardashian/Jenner siblinghood; yes they bicker (a lot) but it’s the unifying force of them as a family that keeps us all keeping up with them, doesn’t it? Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen surely owe their acting and fashion careers to their super strong sisterhood. That models Gigi and Bella Hadid don’t yank each other’s ponytails as they pass each other on the catwalk only adds to their appeal. Solange and Beyonce, Elle and Dakota Fanning – the list of successful siblings who compete in the same field, and yet don’t actually compete (or at least, appear not to) is not insignificant. Quite the opposite...
A dash of sibling rivalry over a game of charades at Christmas is one thing. Battling hard against one another to win-win-win at all costs is another. Alastair Brownlee’s split-second decision to cast aside that sibling competitiveness to help his brother succeed, ahead of himself, has earned the pair more recognition than they would have ever experienced individually if either had won the race.
We all know there is strength in numbers – but the story that has so captivated us, here, is surely: the strength in siblings.
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