Alex Yee wanted to get himself just one thing if he claimed Olympic triathlon gold at Paris 2024, but he still cannot go through with buying it.
The 26-year-old Lewisham-born superstar produced a magical moment on a hot July day in the French capital as he surged past long-time leader Hayden Wilde to claim the biggest prize in swim/bike/run.
Yee says he had promised himself one thing should he come out on top in the biggest show on earth – a season ticket at his beloved Premier League football club Crystal Palace.
A golden ticket, or not
But as yet Alex has not been able to go through with actually buying one, for one very special reason. He thinks he’d be denying another fan the chance to attend games regularly at Selhurst Park.
Yee became a major crossover athlete with all that success in 2024 – he followed up Olympic glory of course by becoming World Triathlon champion for the first time in Torremolinos in October. Next up he will go back to his running roots for a much-hyped London Marathon bid on April 27.
The life of a high-profile athlete means training, competing – and the travel it means – makes any hobbies difficult. And going to football regularly is no different, as Yee told The Athletic.
Yee on Palace love
He explained: “I said if I won the Olympics, my one thing I’d treat myself to would be a season ticket. I told my girlfriend, ‘If this happens, I’m gonna do it, pull the trigger!’”
But he also admits being fraught with guilt at “taking it away from another fan” because of the long waiting list for tickets, and how he “can’t justify” going to every other game.
Ran his first race in a Palace strip
“I’ve only been able to go to two games this year, nowhere near as much as I’d like to,” he said.
Alex is a life-long Eagles fan, revealing: “I went to my first Palace game in 2004 when I was six years old. My two best friends in primary school supported Manchester United and Chelsea. I thought, ‘I can’t do that’. Palace or Millwall were the two obvious local teams. The badge was so cool with the eagle, plus the red and blue stripes. It was iconic. At that point, I was locked in.”
Yee even wore a Palace strip in his first ever race, a Croydon 3km fun run at the age of seven or eight.
“The Palace Supporters Trust sponsored the event so I wore my Palace shirt in support,” he said. “Maybe I should do more races in a Palace strip!. It’s one of my big dreams that New Balance sponsors the team and get the kit (they sponsor Yee). I’ll have to message (Palace chairman) Steve Parish.”
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