Paris triathlon: Sam Dickinson on his role supporting Alex Yee and why he didn’t finish the Olympic individual race

Sam Dickinson’s primary role in Paris is as part of GB’s mixed team relay quartet that competes on Monday, looking to defend the title they won in Tokyo.

First though, he was required to step up and support Alex Yee in the individual race as a pilot athlete – formerly called a domestique – and he carried the plan through to the letter.

That included quitting on coach’s orders early on the 10km run, resulting in one of just five DNFs in the men’s race – with the other four triathletes being lapped out on the bike.

“Stepping off the course was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,” Dickinson said. “But as soon as I did, it was straight on the turbo and into recovery mode ready for Monday.

“I knew before coming into Paris [that I wouldn’t be finishing] so I was well prepared for it. But, yeah [the decision] it’s tough, it is tough, […] but today wasn’t about me, it was about helping one of my best mates achieve his dream – and that’s pretty special too. I’m already thinking about [the relay] and that’s why I’m here.”

Dickinson’s role as pilot didn’t start quite as GB would have liked as he was 42secs behind the lead and 15secs behind Yee coming out of the water. It meant he wasn’t in the front pack with his team-mate.

“Ideally, I’d have been in the break, but, if I was behind, the plan was to let Hayden [Wilde] and other lads do the work to pull it all back together.”

It didn’t take long for the powerhouses of Wilde, Tokyo champion Kristian Blummenfelt and Portugal’s Vasco Vilaça to claw back the deficit and then Dickinson could get involved with the action.

“On the straight bits I kept it at 50km/hr so it didn’t get all twitchy. The faster it was, the safer it was. A couple of poor sods tried to break away but when I’m riding 50km/hr that’s not going to work.

“The course is split into two. North of the river is where all the cobbles are and all the turns, that’s where I could flick other people through because naturally it lines out.

“South of the river you have two long straights and that’s where it’s flat and fast and no-one wants to do any work. My job was to get on the front [and put down], 450 watts and keep it lined out so it’s safer back there for Alex.”

He also helped pilot Yee safely into T2, so he was well positioned for the run. 

“You know Alex is cool, calm and collected,” he added. “I don’t know how big the gap was when we came into T2, but when I looked around I couldn’t see Hayden. 

“He has to close that gap straightaway and could have been what left him legless at the end of the run.”

As for the drama on the run, Dickinson insists he was also cool, calm and collected about the outcome.

“Alex timed his effort to perfection, he’s a true professional and I’m glad he’s achieved his dream today.

“The first thing I said [when Hayden came back] was that there is a long way to go. Hayden knows he has got to try something to beat Alex because he’s not beaten him in a 10km run race very often.

“Those two are a cut above the other athletes in the world at the moment and they deserve it.”

Dickinson and Yee will now join two from bronze medal winner Beth Potter, Georgia Taylor-Brown or Kate Waugh for the mixed relay on Monday, which is scheduled for an 8am start.