Having achieved his own dream with an individual Olympic title, Alex Yee is now looking to repay a favour to British team-mate Sam Dickinson.
Just as he had at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham two years ago, Dickinson was utterly selfless on the bike as he did everything he could to help his great friend win a magnificent gold medal.
His work done, he then peeled off at the start of the run to save his legs for the Mixed Team Relay on Monday.
For large parts of the run, it didn’t look like Yee was going to be able to replicate that Birmingham gold as Hayden Wilde powered ahead at the front of the race, opening up a lead of 22 seconds at one point.
But Yee dug in and then in breathtaking fashion he managed to conjure a final late kick which saw him surge past Wilde and again relegate his arch rival into silver.
Through thick and thin
Speaking afterwards, Yee was quick to pay tribute to Dickinson and told Eurosport’s Rachel Stringer: “We’ve grown up together – through uni, through freshers, we lived together for two, three years.
“We worked hard together, day in, day out. And this guy’s got me out of bed many times and I hope I’ve got him out of bed a few times as well. I’m so proud of him.”
Focus now switches to relay
And referencing Monday’s relay in Paris, where Team GB will look to defend their title against a strong home nation, Yee added: “We’re going to do our best to make this guy’s dream come true later as well. We’re going to give it everything we can.”
Dickinson – who won relay gold alongside Yee in Birmingham – briefly joined the interview but, just like his performance in the race, he was the perfect foil.
He said: “Alex won, I didn’t win. And stepping off the course is probably one of the hardest things that I’ve ever had to do.
“But, you know, today’s not about me. And helping a mate achieve his dream is pretty special for me, too.”
Triathlon’s mid-season report card: Tim Don on who’s raising the bar this triathlon race season
