Has anyone else fully processed that finish in the men’s race at the Paris Olympics? As we try to regain our bearings from one of the most stunning finales of triathlon history, we dive into five of the many talking points that came out of yesterday’s action.
The showdown we have been waiting for
Since they clashed over the gold medal at WTCS Yokohama at the start of 2022, Alex Yee and Hayden Wilde have defined men’s racing at the top level of triathlon. They have reset what it means to be a fast runner in the sport and their rivalry has provided the dominant narrative of the WTCS. Although a world title has eluded them for now, they have been triathletes par excellence.
Yee won three WTCS races in 2022 and 2023 then added another gold in Cagliari this year. Meanwhile, Wilde nabbed a maiden win in 2022 then notched two further golds in 2023. When they arrived in Paris, then, theirs was the match-up over which everyone salivated.
A good swim for Yee put him in the front pack whereas Wilde lost time. They both then enjoyed an accomplished bike segment as Wilde caught Yee in the lead group. Everyone knew the action would be settled during their preferred discipline, the run, and Yee looked like he was going to blow the field away in the early stages. Only Jonas Schomburg was able to put up some initial resistance and the run looked to be over before it really got going.
However, Wilde caught his rival. Then the racing truly started.
Across multiple finishes in the WTCS, Yee has had Wilde’s number. To combat that, Wilde went early in Paris, on the second of the four laps, and Yee appeared to have no answer to his decisive move. Wilde had never beaten Yee over a sprint distance triathlon, let alone the full standard distance; his sole head-to-head triumph came over the super sprint format in Hamburg in 2023. He nevertheless appeared to have learned from the past as he launched his bold new strategy.
With a lap to go, Yee was 14 seconds down and the race seemed settled. Indeed, it was not until the final few hundred metres that Wilde began to falter and suddenly Yee, having paced his effort to utter perfection, soared past his great rival to snatch the gold away at the last.
It was the most thrilling of climaxes and served as the perfect way to close this chapter of their rivalry. Let’s see what our Olympic gold and silver medallists have in store for us next.
More French joy
After Cassandre Beaugrand sparkled in the women’s race, it was the turn of the French men to deliver before the packed course. Behind the battle between Yee and Wilde, Leo Bergere and Pierre Le Corre vied with Tyler Mislawchuk for the bronze medal. Before long, the French pair moved clear. Bergere, the 2022 world champion, then staked his claim on the final lap and subdued the challenge of his elder compatriot. For a moment, Yee even came into target and the crowd roared Bergere onwards until the British athlete launched the devastating final burst that broke Wilde’s heart.
Bergere was a late selection for the Games and was part of a close French call that saw double world champion Vincent Luis left at home. With an Olympic medal around his neck, he more than justified his selection with a superb performance.
Moreover, his bronze medal may taste all the sweeter after the near misses he suffered in 2023. At WTCS Yokohama, the Paris Test Event and WTCS Pontevedra, Bergere found himself on the wrong side of the sprint finishes and missed the podium at each event. In Paris, however, he made his final push at the perfect moment. He thus becomes France’s first male individual Olympic triathlon medallist, on the same day that Beaugrand became the country’s first female individual medallist in the sport.
Champions in the making?
Ricardo Batista was only born in 2000, making him one of the youngest men in the field, but that did not stop him from earning an outstanding 6th place in Paris. His compatriot, Vasco Vilaca, who himself is a year older, took 5th place. In addition, another youngster born in the 21st century, Miguel Hidalgo, was on hand to claim 10th place.
While much of the attention has justifiably centred on the medallists, this trio may just be at the forefront of the coming generation of elite triathletes. Yee and Wilde are unlikely to be out of the picture any time soon, being only born in 1998 and 1997, respectively, but when the Los Angeles Olympics roll around in four years, the young starlets of Paris could be among the favourites for gold.
Not the day for Yokohama heroes
One of the features of the racing in Paris was how the fortunes of the medallists at WTCS Yokohama were turned on their head in Paris. In the men’s race, Morgan Pearson and Luke Willian missed the lead group and spent the race out of the picture. Matthew Hauser likewise crossed in 7th after also winning his previous outing at WTCS Hamburg.
It was a similar story in the women’s race as Yokohama medallists Leonie Periault and Taylor Knibb missed the lead group and finished outside the top-10. At the same time, Emma Lombardi was one to roughly hold position as she claimed 4th place in Paris. Furthermore, Flora Duffy managed to rise from 7th in Japan to 5th in France while Leo Bergere went from 4th to 3rd. In general, though, the trend held that the top performers in Yokohama did not match their performances in Paris.
This may be one example of how deep the sport has become in recent times and how difficult it can be to stay at the top for months at a time, let alone entire seasons. Looking to the next Olympics, the shifts between Yokohama and Paris may even inspire a few federations to adapt their selection strategies as they seek to balance the challenge of peaking multiple times.
Looking ahead to the relay
With the conclusion of the individual events in Paris, the eyes of the sport will now shift to the Mixed Team Relay which is due to take place on Monday. France will naturally enter as the favourites having taken 1st and 4th in the women’s race and 3rd and 4th in the men’s.
Britain will provide stiff opposition as they seek to defend their Olympic title. They field the men’s Olympic champion and the 3rd and 6th place women’s finishers. Samuel Dickinson could be key as the second British man and he opted against finishing the individual race to save himself for the relay. On a separate note, should Yee add another medal in the relay he will leave Paris as the most decorated triathlete in Olympic history.
World champions Germany could also be in the mix after putting two women in the top-10 although only Tim Hellwig made the men’s top-20 (in 18th). Finally, keep an eye out for Portugal. After taking 5th and 6th through Vilaca and Batista in the men’s race and 11th in the women’s event with Maria Tomé, they could spring a surprise on Monday.