A new season, a fresh start but some things don’t change and Hayden Wilde began 2024 with another WTCS victory in the opening race in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
The New Zealander, runner-up to great rival Alex Yee at the Paris 2024 Olympics, went on to take gold in the WTCS Grand Final at Torremolinos.
There was no Yee to beat in Abu Dhabi – the Briton is instead focused on the London Marathon right now – but Wilde had to battle hard to get the better of Australia’s Matt Hauser in a super-quick time of 48:21, just two seconds separating them.
Vasco Vilaca (POR) rounded out the podium in third, a further 16 seconds back.
Swim – Hauser sets the pace
Over the sprint distance and on the on all-new Hudayriat island course, there was a bit of chop for the 750m swim and it was Hauser who led it out.
Wilde had to go quite wide at the halfway buoy and was going to have a bit of a deficit to claw back.
Up front Hauser was out of the water first in 8:38, with Miguel Hidaldo (BRZ) his closest challenger four seconds back.
Wilde meanwhile exited in 32nd at +29 seconds.
Bike – Wilde wastes no time
Onto the bike and after first of five laps there was a 16-man front group which included Hauser, Vilaca plus British trio Ben Dijkstra, Max Stapley and Harry Leleu.
Wilde by now led the chase group at +13 seconds and was animating the pursuit. So much so that most of the first two groups joined up on lap two to make it 24 up front.
But missing out were Morgan Pearson (USA) at +15, Casper Stornes (NOR) at +24 and Hugo Milner (GBR) at +31 and they would never be able to get back in touch.
Late on the bike, Wilde, Simon Westermann (SUI) and Tjebbe Kaindl (AUT) briefly broke clear but it was all back together by T2.
Run – The Falcon swoops again
It didn’t take long for the run to boil down the super-select front three of Wilde, Hauser and Vilaca.
Vilaca was the first to be dropped but Hauser wasn’t letting Wilde get away and it was only just inside the final kilometre on the second of two laps that the elastic snapped.
Even then the Aussie conjured up a sprint finish and got back to within two seconds by the line.
It was the perfect start to the year for Wilde, who will now step up in distance as he turns his attention to the T100 Triathlon World Tour.
WTCS Abu Dhabi 2025 Results
Saturday February 15, 2025 – 750m swim, 19.1km bike, 5km run
Elite Men
- 1. Hayden Wilde (NZL) – 48:21 (8:28 / 24:42 / 14:13)
- 2. Matt Hauser (AUS) – 48:23 (7:59 / 25:14 / 14:13)
- 3. Vasco Vilaca (POR) – 48:39 (8:17 / 24:56 / 14:31)
- 4. Henry Graf (GER) – 48:55 (8:05 / 25:08 / 14:43)
- 5. Adrien Brifford (SUI) – 48:55 (8:27 / 24:49 / 14:38)
- 6. Ricardo Batista (POR) – 48:56 (8:24 / 24:53 / 14:43)
- 7. Roberto Sanchez Mantecon (ESP) – 48:56 (8:25 / 24:58 / 14:39)
- 8. Ben Dijkstra (GBR) – 48:57 (8:15 / 24:56 / 14:43)
- 9. David Cantero Del Campo (ESP) – 48:59 (8:29 / 25:31 / 14:05)
- 10. Miguel Hidalgo (POR) – 49:04 (8:03 / 25:15 / 14:49)
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