Alex Yee has shared a profound motivational message after turning disaster into delight in that WTCS Cagliari classic last weekend.
It’s difficult to win a top-level triathlon race before you exit the beach for the water, but it is possible to go a long way towards losing one.
The post-race images from World Triathlon showed Yee on his knees in the Sardinian sand as the rest of the high-class field entered the sea. Yet a little over 96 epic minutes later he was breaking the tape after getting the better of ANOTHER fantastic battle with great rival Hayden Wilde.
Yee message after Cagliari win
The moral of the story for Yee was quite simple – never give up. Quite simply = PERSIST.
The 25-year-old British star – Olympic silver medalist in Tokyo in 2021 and one of the favourites for gold in Paris next summer – shared two images on his Twitter feed on Tuesday. The first showing that grim beach scene, the second that glorious finish line shot.
Accompanying the photos a very short but very profound message – “Persist. You never know what’s going to happen”.
Yee’s message brought a great response from fellow stars of triathlon and fans, including British Paralympian George Peasgood, who replied: “How it started —Vs— How it’s going”.
The start, can be the finish
This isn’t the first time a great athlete has endured a miserable start like this – remember reigning Olympic king Kristian Blummenfelt at IRONMAN 70.3 Dubai last year. That was something the Norwegian would not recover from.
For Yee though the start to 2023 has been a glorious one, with his ability to mix it in the swim and bike setting up sensational runs, notably that lung-bursting 28:31 in Cagliari.
Clearly the British star has the mindset and the ability to do special things, the attitude that nothing is impossible. The road to Paris continues, and what a ride it promises to be.
Are we in a triathlon boom, or hurtling towards burnout? Laura Siddall on the growth of the sport
