For someone who has won Olympic gold and raced in front of packed crowds around the world, it is perhaps surprising what Alex Yee now considers the greatest sporting atmosphere he has ever experienced while racing.

It wasn’t the Paris Olympics.

It was this year’s London Marathon.

“The London Marathon for me was probably the best atmosphere I’d ever experienced,” Yee told TRI247 ahead of this weekend’s WTCS London.

“I’ve been lucky enough to go to Olympic Games with full crowds and honestly the London Marathon eclipsed it totally.

“I think that’s because it goes a bit past sport in a way. It’s all about a whole city coming together. No matter what problems are going on, no matter what issues there are.

“I feel like it’s the best representation of London on that given day.”

Special occasion

Now the reigning Olympic champion hopes triathlon can create something similar when the World Triathlon Championship Series arrives in the capital this weekend.

Although Yee has raced in Super League / Supertri events in the city, he has never before competed at the highest level of the sport on home roads.

“It’s going to be a privilege to be able to race again in London,” he said.

“I’ve obviously had the Supertri series there. I’ve raced the London Triathlon a few times but I’ve never been able to race this level of the sport at home.

“So to be able to do that is going to be really special.”

The bigger picture

For Yee, however, the significance of WTCS London extends beyond simply competing in front of family and friends.

It is an opportunity to inspire the next generation in exactly the same way he was inspired as a youngster.

“I remember leaning over the barriers in London 2012 and really feeling like a product of that,” he explained.

“And I’m hoping that the WTCS London can do the same thing.

“I think hopefully this can be the same for future generations as well for the sport.”

That sense of continuity is something Yee speaks about often.

Growing up, watching the world’s best race through the streets of London helped shape his own Olympic dream. More than a decade later, he returns as the reigning Olympic champion, hoping another young spectator watching from the roadside might one day follow the same path.

It’s a story that has repeated itself throughout British triathlon over the past decade. The success of London 2012 inspired a generation of athletes, many of whom are now competing alongside Yee on the World Triathlon Championship Series.

Now, with the sport returning to the capital, he hopes the cycle can begin again.

Because while medals are won by athletes, careers often begin behind the barriers.

And something else that Yee has been pushing for this year is to have WTCS races free-to-air rather than behind a paywall. So it’s an added bonus that the BBC has picked up the London event.

Having that added exposure is critical for the sport – after all Yee’s amazing come-from-behind victory over Hayden Wilde at the Paris Olympics was named Team GB’s ‘Moment of the Games’ after a public vote.