When Alex Yee first broke into elite triathlon, there were only a handful of British men regularly lining up on the World Triathlon Championship Series start line.
Today, earning one of those coveted places has become one of the toughest challenges in the sport.
And for reigning Olympic champion Yee, Britain’s remarkable strength in depth is no accident.
Instead, he believes it is the product of a culture that encourages young athletes to develop without feeling intimidated.
Conway catches the eye
One of the brightest examples is reigning U23 world champion and newly-crowned European champion Ollie Conway.
“He’s just a lovely guy as well,” Yee said when we sat down with him recent ahead of WTCS London this weekend.
“He showed me a funny picture the other day. We met each other in 2019 and he must have been 13 or 14 years old.
“Now to be sharing a start line with him is pretty cool.
“He’s going from strength to strength and to become European champion at 20 years old is pretty obscene.
“I think he’s got a very exciting future ahead.”
Conway is only one of several exciting young British athletes emerging onto the international stage, something Yee sees as evidence of a thriving national programme rather than individual success stories.
“When I first came through there were only two or three of us on the start line.
“Now we’re all fighting for starting places to get on the World Series start line, which is super exciting.”
BBC boost
Yee believes that healthy competition has been built on an environment where athletes are encouraged to support one another as much as they compete.
“It’s probably kudos to the culture that we’ve created within the team.
“Hopefully it’s a very welcoming one where everyone feels part of it and not intimidated to come in.
“It feels like they’re able to express themselves in their best way.”
That culture will be on display when the World Triathlon Championship Series arrives in London on 25 July, with one of the strongest British line-ups ever assembled for a home race.
For Yee, that’s perhaps the clearest sign yet of how far British triathlon has come.
A generation inspired by watching the sport has grown into one capable of challenging for medals across the world.
Now, another generation will line the barriers hoping to follow in their footsteps.
And there has been great news in the build up to London in that the event will be available to watch free-to-air (on the BBC), something Yee has been advocating this season.
