JONNY Brownlee is determined to crown his career with a shot at the Ironman world title – but only after he has finally grabbed an elusive Olympic gold in Tokyo.

Elder brother Alistair, who won triathlon gold at both the London and Rio Games, is currently taking time out to target long-distance events and made a winning debut at a half-Ironman event in Gran Canaria in April.

The former Bradford Grammar School pair will briefly re-unite for next month's World Triathlon Series event in their home city of Leeds with Jonny – who won silver in Rio and bronze in London – already mapping out his plan for the build-up to Japan and beyond.

Brownlee, 27, who lives in Bramhope, said: "I'm aiming for Tokyo in three years' time where I hope to get the gold medal, then after that I will definitely try to go into long-distance stuff.

"It's a bit less pressurised in training and in racing too – those fine margins are not quite so important – so it is way of enjoying racing a bit more again, and a good way to finish out your career.

"My ultimate goal at the moment is still the Olympic gold medal, but after that, the final goal would be to become world Ironman champion."

Double Olympic champion Alistair, 29, is yet to clarify his future over the Olympic distance, and fellow Bingley Harrier Jonny insists he is relishing the pressure of stepping up to the mark in his absence.

"I don't really feel the pressure, or if I do I've got used to it," added Brownlee. "I always say if you can deliver at your home Olympics in London, with all that pressure on the start-line, then everything else is easy."

Following his dramatic collapse during last season's World Series finale in Cozumel, Brownlee's new campaign has not gone entirely to plan, as he struggled to shake off a hip injury before crashing in the cycling stage of last week's World Series race in Yokohama.

Brownlee carried his broken bike over the final half-lap of the circuit in order to ensure he could finish the event, in which he eventually came home 42nd.

He added: "The main thing for me is to shake off this bit of bad luck. I picked up this strange hip injury, then I got ill, then crashed out of my first race. Hopefully the bad luck is going to end in the build-up to Leeds."

* The Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Series Leeds takes place in the city on Sunday, June 11.