Search
shop

A Wilde race: Lucy Buckingham makes sense of epic CWG opener

Harsh or fair? That Hayden Wilde penalty was top of the list of the talking points from day one in Birmingham
Last updated -
Get the ultimate guide to destination racing

There was so much to analyse after the individual races on day one of the Commonwealth Games – here’s Lucy Buckingham with her expert verdict on the big talking points in the men’s event:

For me, Hayden Wilde‘s was the performance of the day in the men’s race, won by Alex Yee.  All the more so because he showed such great sportsmanship after he had that penalty.

I think that penalty was very controversial; I’ve looked back at it quite a few times and I know the officials are doing their job and we don’t want anyone to get that unfair advantage. 

But from what I could see, his front wheel on his bike went into the rack and then he unclipped (which is legal and not a violation). From what I could see on the footage, he didn’t unclip the helmet before he racked.

For me, personally, I still think I would have backed Alex to win, but I do think that last 200 metres would have been really exciting. And it just took away from that, a little bit. 

But the way that Hayden handled himself, knowing full well he’d been given a penalty, I just thought it was really mature and really great to see. And yes, the performance of the day.

Swim surprises

Heading back a little bit, the swim start was crazy in both races, though it probably had more of an impact in the women’s.

I was surprised to see Matt Hauser drop back after being right up there for the first five minutes but that was when Tayler Reid came to the front and did a great job of keeping the swim at a high tempo because obviously Henri Schoeman didn’t line up, which changed things a bit.

Dan Dixon had an amazing swim too and stayed with those guys, but then on the bike it was the front three against the chasing pack.

Aligned aims in the chase group

The chase group all had the similar aim of not wanting that top three going too far up the road, which meant they worked well together – at least after a while.

Sam Dickinson obviously did an incredible amount of work, but people were taking turns on the front like Jersey’s Ollie Turner.

Up front Wilde did a lot of time on the front, doing everything he could to make sure that they were going to stay away. Not taking anything away from Reid and Jamie Riddle, but it was Wilde who was doing the most to maintain that gap.

I think it took the chasers a couple of laps, but they did start working better towards the end and that’s when we saw the time gap come down a little bit more. It was a bit of a classic situation but Dixon and Dickinson did a really great job on the bike to get that time gap down to 15 seconds at T2. 

Yee floats to the front

The run was super hilly and I guess historically in World Series and at Olympic Games, you don’t have hilly run courses. It’s usually the bike course that’s the hillier terrain. So I actually think that played into Alex’s hands a lot more because he just floats up them. 

But you can never take it away from Alex. He kept his cool and he just ran away with it. 

There’s a great thing going on with Hayden and Alex. They genuinely have a good relationship with each other. It’s like they can get to a start line and race their hearts out and then cross the line and be really respectful of one another and actually be like friends in a way. 

And I think that’s great that we can do that in this sport. It takes a lot for an athlete to be able to do that. So it just shows how impressive they are.

You look today at the BBC tweeting that fist bump between the pair – it’s so good for our sport to go to a wider audience, it really gets it out there and looks so good.

Hats off to Hauser

We also saw Hauser be really smart as well. He knew that the English were going to chase down Hayden, Reid and Riddle and he just kept out of trouble in the chase pack, but also making sure that he was saving his legs for the run. 

He’s been running super well in training recently and he’s got some great training partners, so I think he just played it really smart.

Nice problem to have

Looking ahead to the relay on Sunday, Team England have two strong options to put alongside Alex on the men’s side. It’s a tough choice but in my humble opinion, I do feel maybe it could be Dan Dixon. He has a very strong swim on him. He obviously rides very well and his running is forever improving. So I do think he’d make a really nice addition to a very strong relay. 

Having said that, Sam’s proven that he’s got a really good leg on him in terms of the relay as we saw that in Hamburg and I think he could also do a really great job so it’s a nice problem to have for Team England.

The bottom line is Dan and Sam showed incredible maturity to do everything they could to help Alex win gold on day one and it was obvious they were both super happy when they crossed the line.

Lucy Buckingham
Written by
Lucy Buckingham
Discover more
Caroline Pohle Lena Meissner ironman 703 jonkoping sprint 2025
PremiumTriathlon’s mid-season report card: Tim Don on who’s raising the bar this triathlon race season
TRI-FIT VANGUARD tri suit review
The entry-level tri suit with a serious amount of performance for the price point – TRI-FIT VANGUARD review
Hayden Wilde bike supertri Boston 2024 photo credit supertri
Premium10 ways to make your road bike faster and more aero for triathlons
Kristian Blummenfelt photo credit: PTO Canadian Open
PremiumIs your gut health impacting your performance? The untapped potential of good gut health for triathletes
Laura Philipp and Kat Matthews on the run at the 2024 IRONMAN World Championship
PremiumHas triathlon reached peak performance? Tri experts and legends on how much faster triathletes could get
latest News
Triathlon superstar Hayden Wilde to make shock comeback at London T100
Lionel Sanders wins 70.3 St George 2025 photo credit Getty Images for IRONMAN
‘Intimidating’ to go into Worlds after four months off – but Lionel Sanders up for the challenge
Georgia Taylor-Brown Alex Yee Super League Triathlon Malibu 2021
Triathlon’s most decorated Olympic duo now honoured by their former University
Olav Aleksander Bu Photo credit: Roj Ferman | Surpas
Top triathlon coach Olav Aleksander Bu says it’s all about the team after Uno-X bag first Tour de France win
Danielle Lewis (USA) takes the win in Lake Placid.
IRONMAN Lake Placid 2025: Date, start time, how to watch and who’s racing
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

TRI247-LOGO_Primary-Black_RGB-1

CHOOSE YOUR MEMBERSHIP TO BECOME PART OF SOMETHING EPIC

We’re on a mission to elevate the world of endurance sport, becoming your go-to resource for expert training tips and inspiration, unbiased reporting and creating a platform for grassroots voices. But we can’t do it without you on board! Choose a TRI247+ membership option below and become part of something epic.

£7.95/month

Unlimited access. No ads. A whole library of tips, advice and inspiration at your finger tips, and the chance to shape the future of triathlon journalism.

100+ new articles/month

You’ll also gain access to our other premium websites:

Have an account? Sign in

£47.95/year
£95.40/year

50% Discount

100+ new articles/month

Unlimited access. No ads. A whole library of tips, advice and inspiration at your finger tips, and the chance to shape the future of triathlon journalism.

You’ll also gain access to our other premium websites:

Have an account? Sign in

Share to...