WTCS Grand Final: Alex Yee crowned world champion after finishing third in thrilling tussle in southern Spain

Olympic champion Alex Yee claimed his first individual senior World Triathlon world title on the Costa del Sol as he finished in third in the series Grand Final.

Needing sixth place to guarantee the crown, it was far more dramatic than the result suggests, as a five-man breakaway on the bike made for plenty of tense moments throughout an afternoon of intense action in Torremolinos.

Yee’s longtime rival and Olympic silver medallist Hayden Wilde took victory to finish third overall in the series by the narrowest of margins behind Leo Bergere, who was also runner-up in Torremolinos as the podium positions from Paris were switched around.

As has been the case for the previous two men’s World Triathlon Grand Finals, the permutations were being calculated and recalculated for much of the race, but once Yee set off on the 10km run – immediately distancing the rest of the chase pack – it looked clear that he wouldn’t be denied.

With three victories out of three WTCS races in Cagliari, Paris and Weihai, coming into this event, it was a deserved triumph for Yee, especially after the near misses of the previous two years.

It also meant that he joins an exclusive club alongside Flora Duffy, Kristian Blummenfelt, and most recently Cassandre Beaugrand, who have won both the Olympic title and World Triathlon world title in the same year.

What happened in the swim?

In contrast to the conditions the previous afternoon when the elite women had to contend with a tricky swell, the Mediterranean was much more tranquil for the opening leg of the men’s race.

Neither was there the drama of any of the leading contenders swimming dramatically off course, as had been the case with Beaugrand, whose coronation was then delayed as she was forced to wait out an unsuccessful appeal over unfair assistance at the end of the race.

It was Australian Matt Hauser who led the way for the first 750m lap, with GB’s Max Stapley and Harry Leleu handily placed in the top 10 and Yee only 14sec back, but with plenty of bodies between him and the leader.

Portuguese newcomer Miguel Tiago Silva took over the lead for the second lap and while Yee diced with being caught the wrong side of a break in the swim, he was only 21sec behind by the time they reached T1.

The challenge was that he was down in 35th place and with so many triathletes to pass on a congested course there was the danger a pack at the front containing key personnel might get away.

What happened on the bike?

There were warning signs for Yee right from the start of the 40km bike leg as a quintet including the Brit’s two main challengers, Bergere and Wilde, along with Tayler Reid, Simon Westermann and Vincent Luis, broke clear and immediately established a gap.

The break looked partly triggered when Hauser flipped over his handlebars at a seemingly innocuous part of the course, helping to create enough separation to make the split stick. Hauser was taken to hospital for medical treatment.

By the end of the first lap, the leaders had carved out a 25sec lead, which they extended further on lap two. The dilemma for Yee was whether he should work to try to close the gap or sit in the group, knowing sixth place would be enough to guarantee a first individual world title.

Both options had their risks and Yee was grateful for the company of GB athletes like Stapley, Leleu, Jack Willis and Connor Bentley to help share the workload, along with the hard-biking Portuguese, Vasco Vilaca, and USA’s Morgan Pearson. 

The problem was that the gap to the front was still being extended, with the motivation sky high for Bergere and Wilde who also had the ideal willing support riders in Luis (for Bergere) and Reid (for Wilde).

By the time they reached T2 the gap was 1:38, wth Yee knowing he probably needed to be the fastest runner of the chasers and/or catch one or two of the front group to grab that elusive first title.

What happened on the run?

Wilde and Bergere quickly moved away at the front, with the Kiwi then pulling away on the first lap – a result that would give Yee the additional buffer of being able to finish seventh and win the world title.

A lot further back, Yee quickly distanced himself from the large chase pack to ease any GB nerves. It meant that only a blow-up or injury would end his title chances.

As Wilde pulled away at the front, Yee was looking equally smooth as he rapidly closed the gap to the trio of Luis, Reid and Westermann, getting closer to the world title with every step. 

By the start of the final lap Yee was up into third position. Dorian Coninx and Pierre Le Corre, who had sat up in the chase back, both put in stellar runs to finish fourth and fifth as they tried to claw Yee back and aid Bergere’s chances.

Hugo Milner, who had been in the third chase pack on the bike, delivered his usual exceptional 10km to run through for 10th place, his best result in a WTCS race to date.

As the blue carpet beckoned, Yee couldn’t close down Bergere for second, but it didn’t matter for the overall series winner as he took a deserved first senior world title.

What Yee said:

“We always put on a show in the Grand Final and fair play to the guys at the front, they made it a hell of a race and I’m just proud to be part of that and this amazing season.

“These boys [Wilde, Bergere, Luis et al] are the strongest in the game. If they go then you know you’re in danger. I just had to play to my strengths, work as hard as I could on the bike and then run as hard as I could.

“This has been something that has evaded me for the past three years. I had to treat it as its own standalone race. When I came here I wanted to put on a show and a smile on people’s faces and I’m here as world champion. it shows people at home that with hard work anything can happen. Pressure makes diamonds so hopefully I showed that today.”

What Wilde said:

“Leo went out like a bat out of hell [on the bike]. I tried to sit on his wheel and then I realised we had a gap and we just worked so well together. It was cool to see.

“On the run, I gave it a little dig on the first lap and got a gap. It was same plan as I had a for the Olympic Games. Two laps hard, one lap easy and then bring it home. I’m a bit disappointed not to win the championship but to win the Grand Final is something special.”

WTCS 2024 Grand Final: Men’s final standings

1. Hayden Wilde 1:42:22
2. Leo Bergere +1:02
3. Alex Yee +1:28
4. Dorian Coninx +1:41
5. Pierre Le Corre +1:42
6. Csongor Lehmann +1:46
7. Tayler Reid +1:50
8. Vincent Luis +2:00
9. Tyler Mislawchuk +2:04
10. Hugo Milner +2:09

WTCS 2024: Final overall standings

1. Alex Yee 4,070pts
2. Leo Bergere 3,728pts
3. Hayden Wilde 3,726pts
4. Pierre Le Corre 3,025pts
5. Csongor Lehmann 2,811pts
6. Luke Willian 2,532pts
7. Vincent Luis 2,528pts
8. Matt Hauser 2,301pts
9. Miguel Hidalgo 2,215pts
10. Alberto Gonzalez Garcia 2,137pts