Search
shop

How did Alex Yee conjure up that magical surge to Olympic triathlon glory? Team GB star reveals all about his dash to gold at Paris 2024

It was a finish that will go down in the Olympic record books and British winner describes the rollercoaster ride that led up to it.
News Director
Last updated -

It’s a finish which will go down in Olympic history. In triathlon history.

But how did Alex Yee find those hidden reserves to conjure an triathlon gold medal at Paris 2024?

His arch rival Hayden Wilde looked to have the race in the bag with literally just a kilometre to go, as Yee seemed set to repeat his individual silver from Tokyo – though that was far from certain with a dual-pronged home challenge just in behind.

But then, in a matter of strides the race was transformed. Wilde was suddenly treading water and Yee was doing very much the opposite.

In what seemed an instant, he closed down what had been a 14-second gap at the end of the third of four run laps and surged past Wilde with around 400 metres to go.

There was no response from the Kiwi as Yee went on to follow fellow Brit Alistair Brownlee into Olympic immortality.

Advertisement

‘I was in quite a bad place’

And afterwards, speaking to Eurosport, he said: “I just have so much respect for Hayden and how much he made me dig for that, fair play to him. He’s an amazing athlete and for me, almost two laps in, I probably thought maybe silver’s on the cards.”

Yee had been to the fore throughout – higher up in the swim than Wilde and then working on the bike to try and maintain the front group’s gap to the pack containing Wilde and Tokyo Olympic champion Kristian Blummenfelt.

But it all came back together on the run and Yee wondered if he might pay the price.

He explained: “I was in quite a bad place. I really wanted to do a swim, bike and run. Maybe I did a bit too much swimming and biking today. That meant that the run was really hard and I gave it everything I had.”

‘One last chance’ for Alex Yee

In a jaw-dropping finale he was somehow able to turn the race on its head and talking through that process, he explained: “Many people have told me, ‘you’re going to go through a bad patch in a race, no matter how perfect or bad it is’. So I think for me, I just rode that wave and said, one more try and let’s see if we can do it.

“I owed it to myself to give myself one last chance. And with about 2k to go, I thought I’d just give everything I had – I was saying ‘anything can happen’.

Alex Yee Paris 2024 Olympic Games medal
Alex Yee’s reward for an incredible performance [Photo credit: Wagner Araujo | World Triathlon]

“I’m still just that normal guy who works hard at my sport and loves what I’m doing.

“I’m just so proud that I was able to [do this] for my family, for everyone who’s worked hard, my girlfriend Liv and so many more people than just me that have worked towards this.

“And, you know, this was our dream and I’m the lucky one that gets to do it.”

Jonathan Turner
Written by
Jonathan Turner
Jonathan Turner is News Director for both TRI247 and RUN247, and is accustomed to big-name interviews, breaking news stories and providing unrivalled coverage for endurance sports.  
Discover more
Challenge Family Kaiserwinkle-Walchsee triathlon bike
The ultimate triathlon bike courses to ride before you die
TRI247 Wahoo KICKR RUN treadmill review
Wahoo KICKR RUN treadmill review – can Wahoo do for treadmill running what they did for indoor cycling?
Challenge Cesenatico 2024 debut - image credit Jose Luis Hourcade / Challenge Family
5 ways to improve your FTP – Expert tips to level up your cycling
Challenge The Championship Marjolaine Pieree
How to qualify for Challenge The Championship – and why it should be on your triathlon bucket list
sumarpo triathlon swimming wetsuit
Wetsuit buying guide – How to choose the best wetsuit for triathlon, open water swimming, SwimRun and cold water
latest News
Lionel Sanders training pic August 2023 photo credit Talbot Cox
Lionel Sanders details new training mantra ahead of 2025 triathlon season
Paris 2024 Olympic mens triathlon Hayden Wilde run
WTCS Abu Dhabi 2025: Start time, preview and how to watch live
Alex Yee Cassandre Beaugrand gold medals supertri Boston photo credit supertri
Olympic triathlon champion smashes national 5km running record thanks to SENSATIONAL finish
Jelle Geens IRONMAN
IRONMAN 70.3 World Champ heads to Geelong to kickstart 2025 season before T100 focus
Sam Long St George 2024 photo credit Getty Images for IRONMAN
Yo Yo Yo – Sam Long sets out his BIGGEST goal for 2025 and puts mood over training metrics
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...