Alex Yee’s belief shines through for spectacular Paris gold

When Alex Yee won silver in Tokyo, perhaps the only question mark was whether the then 23-year-old had the belief to become an individual Olympic champion.

Much has changed over the past three years, including Yee notching up a stack of World Series wins. But if any doubts lingered at all, then heading onto the final 2.5km loop in Paris this morning – 14 seconds down on friend and rival Hayden Wilde – was going to be the ultimate test

Yee passed with flying colours of red, white and blue. Early in the run, he appeared to be fading. By the final yards on the blue carpet he was striding to victory for the title his performances in the past three years have merited.

Great Britain’s fifth gold medal in Paris was also a historic fourth gold medal in Olympic triathlon – pushing them two clear of any other nation – after Alistair Brownlee went back-to-back in London and Rio and mixed team relay gold in Tokyo.

“It all happened so fast,” Yee said, having barely lifted his arms at the tape. “I wish I could go back and do it again, but I just got to the finish line and was like: ‘Oh my days, it’s me!’”

How Alistair Brownlee inspired Yee’s final push

There’s an argument for another day that Yee adding Paris gold to the individual silver and mixed team relay gold from Tokyo now gives him a better set of medals than either Alistair or Jonny Brownlee.

But far more important is that the Yorkshire brothers’ heroics in London inspired Yee, from Brockley in the south-east of the capital, to excel at the sport. And even if the Brownlee effect at the Olympics is no longer represented in their own sweat and toil, Alistair is still having an impact.

“With one lap to go [Alistair] shouted: ‘Anything can happen, mate!’,” Yee recalled. “It’s special to look back at that now. Another moment of belief, and I was in the mindset that I wanted to give myself that last chance.”

It really was a remarkable finale to the event that had been pushed back from yesterday and started at 10:45am as temperatures climbed. Yee and Wilde are well used to going head-to-head, but it is also normally shoulder-to-shoulder for long stretches, with Yee often coming out on top in the final yards.

This time the Kiwi tried something different, going for the jugular on the second lap, and by halfway it looked like it would pay off.

“I was certainly riding a bad patch,” Yee continued. “I said to myself with 3km to go that I want to give it one more chance. I owed it to myself and to so many guys who came to watch today, who waited after the postponement. It’s amazing we were able to have a race and I hope we put on a show for them.”

Too good to be true

When he overtook Wilde to regain the lead it almost seemed too good to be true for the thousands of British fans who’d made the trip to line the streets of the capital in support.

“I thought that if I give 100% and he comes back around me I have to be at peace with that,” Yee added. “It was enough. I think it’s innate through track racing.”

Having clocked 29:47 for 10km as the sun bore down, Yee underlined once more there is more than just footspeed to his success, including how the Wilde rivalry has driven him to new levels.

“The level of our running at the moment is unfathomable,” he continued. “It’s amazing to be part of this level of short course and to be pushed by Hayden and to have those battles is something I’ll relish forever… as much as winning a gold medal.

“We work hard day-in, day-out to be the best athletes we can be, and he is the one person who pushes me to those new limits. I have so much appreciation for him as a person. From our first Super League races, we’ve shared rooms together. He’s a top mate as well as a top racer.”

How the heat was “a nice bonus”

Having come out of the water just 27secs behind the leader compared to Wilde being 63secs back, Yee also reminded everyone it isn’t just about his run.

“I think I was able to swim remarkably well, ride at the front and run as well,” he continued. “Triathlon racing has always been about racing three events, not just one. I was proud to be an animator on race day and put on a show.”

The other factor was the heat from the unexpected late start. “We’d done some preparation for the heat,” Yee said. “I find heat stimulus works for physiological gains anyway, and it was a nice bonus to have [it hotter].” 

Wilde, who spends a lot of time training at altitude in Andorra where it is cooler, felt he was more caught out by the late change of start-time. “I think we were both suffering and it was a game of poker out there to not show too many pain faces,” he reflected. “But it was pretty hard to hide in that last kilometre.”

As for the delay due to water quality, Yee’s mild-mannered make-up was a clear advantage. “You’ve got to roll with the punches,” he said. “It’s part of being an athlete at this level. You’ve got to understand that sport isn’t going to be as straightforward. 

“We’re lucky enough to be in this amazing venue and one of the risks of being in the best venue of the Olympics is the water quality. 

“For us to have this historic moment to race the Olympics in the Seine and leave a legacy behind… hopefully people can swim here later and be inspired by what we’ve done.”