Alistair Brownlee believes the standard of middle distance triathlon has never been higher ahead of a hotly-anticipated showdown in the Saturday Spanish sun.

The two-time Olympic champion from Leeds, 35, will make his return to racing in Ibiza for the inaugural Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) European Open this weekend.

The innovative event has organised a Balearic battle between every Olympic gold medallist since Beijing 2008, with reigning Tokyo champion Kristian Blummenfelt and German giant Jan Frodeno, who grabbed glory in China 15 years ago, spearheading a star-studded field alongside Brownlee.

Frodeno, 41, is widely acknowledged as the greatest triathlete of all-time but earlier this week hailed Brownlee, who claimed Olympic gold in London and Rio, as the finest athlete to ever grace the sport.

The decorated duo will lock horns with PTO world No.1 Blummenfelt, 29, for the first time ever on Saturday as different generations collide over 100km in Ibiza.

Technological advances have propelled the middle distance standard to new heights since London 2012 and Brownlee says the calibre of athletes on the circuit is at an all-time high.

“In terms of the standard, it’s really hard to answer – you want to say it’s no better than it was,” he said.

“But I think this middle distance, the standard is the best it’s ever been, both in terms of the best athletes and competitiveness.

“And also, in terms of the physicality and the technical bits and equipment that goes into it too, so I think that’s fantastic.

“I didn’t know that it was the first time me, Jan and Kristian had raced together – that’s really cool and massive kudos to the PTO for organising that.

“It’s bringing the best of triathlon together to race, which is awesome.

“The popularity of the sport has also increased massively across this distance – previously, you’d have to follow the best races in the world by looking at a Twitter feed.

“Now it’s broadcast live in countries around the world and engaging new fans in new ways with great broadcasts and data.”

Brownlee, who is entering the twilight of his triathlon career, has endured a stop-start couple of years due to injury.

But he’s got a solid block of preparation in the tank ahead of returning to racing at the idyllic island location on Saturday morning.

The four-time world champion added: “I’ve got a decent amount of training in, so I’m looking forward to it.

“I’m actually going to be quite conservative – I’ve spent a career being unconservative so I’m going to be quite conservative and have a solid all-round result, not get too caught up in the racing and just focus on executing my race plan.”

Saturday’s race is one of several set up by the PTO this season, an organisation bidding to catapult the visibility of triathlon to new heights by implementing a more consistent and high-profile calendar throughout the year.

Australian ace Cameron Wurf, who competed for the Ineos Grenadiers in last month’s iconic Paris-Roubaix, and German Justus Nieschlag, who secured an impressive triumph in March’s Ironman 70.3 Lanzarote, will also feature alongside Brownlee, Frodeno and Blummenfelt on Saturday morning.

Brownlee said: “The PTO are putting on great events that really showcase triathlon to the best of its ability, most importantly for the fans watching at home.

“It really interested me from the start and I thought getting involved was a fantastic opportunity to promote triathlon.

“The future is very exciting – it’s fantastic what’s happening and everyone involved should be very proud.”

The PTO European Open races take place on Saturday 6 May, with the men starting at 0815 CET and the women at 0945 CET. Both will be broadcast live on Eurosport 2 from 0800 CET