Search
shop

Hayden Wilde bemoans ‘debatable’ penalty which ruined CWG gold bid

Kiwi reflects on the agony of that crucial late penalty on Friday
Editor-In-Chief
Last updated -
STRENGTH. ENDURANCE. PERFORMANCE.

We got the Commonwealth Games men’s triathlon race we wanted, but not the finish, leaving Hayden Wilde to bemoan the “debatable” penalty which ruined his bid for gold.

Wilde was joined by great rival Alex Yee at the head of affairs heading into the closing 1000m of a breakneck showdown in Birmingham on Friday morning.

But disaster struck for the Kiwi as he was informed he had picked up a 10-second time penalty for unclipping his bike helmet too early in T2. That left Yee clear to surge to the line for gold while Wilde served his penalty.

Advertisement

Wilde on CWG gold bid

Hayden said afterwards said Team New Zealand would protest the penalty, but maintained he was not disappointed by the result.

He said: “I got a breakaway going and they boys, I was motivating, I was like ‘come on boys, the medals are up here, let’s just go on’. We got a 16-second gap and the coach just said ‘relax, let Alex catch up’. That was the gameplan.

“I saw I had a penalty, which is debatable, but that’s racing. I know exactly what I did, so expecting we’ll go ahead and do a protest but there’s nothing else we can do about it.

“It is what it is, and I’m super-happy I did everything I could have done in the race. I’m proud of what I did, I didn’t leave anything to chance and, yeah, it was ripper!”

Hayden hails great rival Yee

Wilde paid tribute to his great rival Yee after yet another great battle between the pair, saying: “I’m chuffed for the guy. He played a perfect race. He was in a group and he was in contention.

“I knew it was going to be a hard task even with 16 seconds in front. We’ve had such great battles since Tokyo with him being the silver and myself getting the bronze, and just repeating it again and it was like, oh damn, another one. It’s just awesome to see him.

“I guess we came into the limelight together and we’re still developing and becoming better athletes.”

Wilde of course admitted blame for the WTCS Leeds crash which saw Yee and Jonny Brownlee both exit early. Injuries suffered that day eventually would rule Brownlee out of these games.

Wilde said: “We’re great mates behind the scenes, that’s part of racing. We know it was the last thing I wanted to see, but to see them here and to get that gold medal for his country is fantastic.

“Obviously, Jonny isn’t here which I’m a little disappointed about personally. Having a Brownlee in any sort of race makes it super exciting. If we would have had Jonny up the front, who know what could have happened. I’m really happy to come away with silver.”

Graham Shaw
Written by
Graham Shaw
Graham has been involved with TRI247 & RUN247 since the summer of 2021. Since then he has provided strategic direction for all news and is passionate about the growth of triathlon as a fan sport.
Discover more
Challenge The Championship Marjolaine Pieree
How to qualify for Challenge The Championship – and why it should be on your triathlon bucket list
Cadomotus aero triathlon cycling shoes
Can your triathlon cycling shoes make you faster? How shoe choice could speed up your triathlon finish times
French Riviera T100 bike course Esterel
Is this the ultimate middle distance triathlon bike course? We rode the French Riviera T100 bike course and it’s EPIC
Ironman gear guide – everything you need to get to the finish line of a full distance triathlon
Challenge St. Pölten 2024 - image credit Jose Luis Hourcade / Challenge Family
Expert swim coach on the three most common swim mistakes age group triathletes make (and how to fix them!)
latest News
The PTO's CEO Sam Renouf
PTO reveal ambitions of matching Roth and Kona as French Riviera T100 triathlon course details unveiled
Sam Long St George 2024 photo credit Getty Images for IRONMAN
‘No No No’ – Sam Long says he felt ROBBED by swim cancellation at ‘69.1 Chattanooga’
IRONMAN World Championship 2024 Nice Age Group Swim Start
IRONMAN to review World Championship slot allocation model after fears raised for Age Group women
Jonny Brownlee / Jonathan Brownlee - Super League Triathlon London 2023
Did the Brownlee brothers nearly join pro cycling’s Team Sky after 2012 Olympic heroics?
Kristian Hogenhaug interviewed after The Championship 2025
Danish triathlon star highlights blistering bike split as key to The Championship success.
triathlon on your terms
Never miss out with our triathlon alerts & digest. Get a dose of adventure & inspiration with Boundless.
The 247 Group

The home of endurance sports

Share to...