Yee defeats Wilde for Cagliari WTCS three-peat

Alex Yee defeated arch rival Hayden Wilde to win Cagliari WTCS for a third successive time and prove he is in the shape to challenge for Olympic gold in Paris.

Britain’s top male triathlete out-kicked Tokyo bronze medallist Wilde in the final stages of the 10km run to take the tape in a rapid 1:39:44 with a 29:12 run split.

It was almost a carbon copy of the 2023 race, where Yee again got the better of Wide on the final leg. This time Hungary’s Csongor Lehmann put in his career-best performance for bronze ahead of Norway’s Vetle Thorn and Ricardo Batista.

There was disappointment for reigning Olympic champion Kristian Blummenfelt whose chances were ruined when he had to stop to change wheels on the bike leg. Pierre Le Corre finished sixth to secure his Olympic qualification, with Vincent Luis in ninth place.

There were mixed fortunes for the other Brits. Hugo Milner ran his way through for 13th place, and Barclay Izzard finished 32nd, but Max Stapley had to pull out due a bike issue and Sam Dickinson dropped out on the second lap of the run.

What happened in the swim?

In contrast to the women’s race, the men’s 1,500m swim was a non-wetsuit contest with the water temperature having risen just above the allowed limit of 20 degrees celsius.

The series rankings dictate who has priority for choosing their pontoon positions. But with only Yokohama WTCS having taken place in 2024 and neither Yee nor Wilde competing, both found themselves with little choice as to where to line up.

After high winds delayed the start for half-an-hour, the chop in the Mediterranean had greatly increased by the time the race got underway, making it one of the most challenging WTCS swims of recent years.

Stapley was first to the Aussie exit after 750m, porpoising through the breaking waves on the way in and back out on to the second lap, with the entire 60-strong field all within 30sec.

There were several changes of lead coming into transition, but it was Spain’s Alberto Gonzalez Garcia who was credited with the fastest swim in 18:29, just ahead of Le Corre, Pearson and Stapley.

Dickinson, Yee and Milner were all within 20sec of the lead, but Izzard was struggling 61sec behind and second from last.

What happened on the bike?

On a fast 10-lap bike leg over 38km, making the front pack was paramount to the triathletes’ chances of success.

That was no problem for Gonzalez Garcia who flew through transition and opened up a handy cushion. Behind him 26 athletes came together at the front including most of the big names.

Those missing out included Germany’s Tim Hellwig, Brazil’s Miguel Hidalgo and Milner as the rain started teeming down once more.

Stapley was issued a 15sec penalty for mounting his bike before the line, but worse was to follow as a mechanical forced an early end to his day.

Canada’s Tyler Mislawchuk was another who wouldn’t finish, pulling off the course before the halfway point.

Wilde was the main aggressor with Blummenfelt also to the fore as the field continued to be whittled down, with Pearson the next triathlete to be jettisoned, finding himself between groups with only the Italian Alessio Crociani for company.

Blummenfelt then hit an issue of his own and lost 2min as he had to stop to change wheels before completing the rest of the bike leg solo.

As the 18-strong front group headed towards the bike dismount, the race looked set for another showdown between Yee and Wilde, but with the likes of Bergere and Le Corre intent on spoiling the party.

What happened on the run?

Wilde and Yee immediately burst clear at the start of the run, the Kiwi fresh off running a 13:23.91 personal best over 5,000m on the track in Spain last month.

By the end of the first 2.5km lap it was clear that it would be a repeat of last year’s race where the two rivals ran shoulder-to-shoulder for much of the 10km before Yee pulled clear in the final metres with a 28:31 split.

By halfway the pair were 20sec clear of Hungary’s Csongor Lehmann, with both Le Corre and Norway’s Vetle Thorn narrowly behind and looking set to secure their respective Olympic selections.

There was barely a metre between Yee and WIlde entering the final throes, but as the blue carpet neared Yee made the move and his rival couldn’t respond.

Alex Yee said:

“I hope you guys are enjoying what we’re putting on. It’s everything I have and it’s probably everything he [Wilde] has. We’re just trying to make racing as exciting as possible, and I hope it carries on for the rest of the year.

“Each of us were making little moves here and there but both of us were running so strongly. I’m pleased to be back racing and put Pontevedra to bed. To end the year like that was a bit of a disappointment and I’m just pleased to show that I am a triathlete again.”

Hayden Wilde said:

“When I spoke a couple of days ago I didn’t really care where I finished, it was all about the swim, and I came out in the front pack today. I’m getting closer and closer, which is positive and I know what I need to work on for the next race.

“When it started raining, I really pushed on and we dropped a couple of the top contenders and it was a good old run battle like last time.”

Cagliari WTCS: Final standings

1. Alex Yee 1:39:44
2. Hayden Wilde +2
3. Csongor Lehmann +43
4. Vetle Thorn +52
5. Ricardo Batista +53
6. Pierre Le Corre +55
7. Charles Paquet +60
8. Luke Willian +1:06
9. Vincent Luis +1:13
10. Jonas Schomurg +1:23