Hayden Wilde cruised to victory on Saturday (June 29) in his last race before next month’s Olympic Games triathlon at Paris 2024.
The New Zealander is one of the clear favourites for gold in the race he calls “the big dance”, and he duly warmed up with the win at the Lindahls Pro+ Triathlon Series race in Bordeaux on Saturday.
How the race unfolded
Racing for Triathlon Club De Lievin and the overwhelming favourite, Wilde was part of a huge group on the bike coming into T2 in the sprint race. But as expected he was a class apart on the run as he eased clear early on and was never threatened.
He crossed the line in 49:21, eight seconds clear of France’s Maxime Hueber-Moosbrugger.
Wilde is looking to go two better than his bronze medal from the Tokyo Olympics, with Kristian Blummenfelt and Alex Yee – the men who beat him – again among his big rivals.
‘Happy to get a race in the legs’
And speaking on the live broadcast after his Bordeaux win, Wilde said: “I’m happy with that, it all went well on the run and I beat my time here from last year.
“It was a bit wet [on the bike] but everyone was very respectful.
“The form’s there before Paris and I’m really enjoying it.”
Asked what the plan is between now and the Olympics, which is almost exactly a month away, he added: “Just to continue the training. I’ve got a long run tomorrow, we don’t stop.
“I’ve been up in Andorra for an altitude stint so it was really hard to come down here and run at sea level but I’m really happy to get a race in the legs.”
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