He may not have had the season he hoped for, but Kiwi superstar Hayden Wilde believes he can still end the year on a high as he chases 70.3 world glory this weekend.
Illness has resulted in a late switch of priorities for the T100 champion, who started 2026 with the double ambition of challenging for both the IRONMAN middle-distance crown and the WTCS short-course title.
Diagnosed with a debilitating lung issue, he has only competed four times this year, with his most recent race coming at WTCS Hamburg at the start of July, where, clearly hampered by his condition, he laboured in 27th place.
Powers of recovery will be tested
With just one win and two third-place finishes from his other three events, his record is in stark contrast to that of last year, when, even after suffering serious injury in a career-threatening bike crash, he was able to win seven of his eleven starts.
Once again, his powers of recovery will be tested to the absolute limit as, now fully fit, he looks to bounce back from the lung problems and shoot for at least one of those pre-season targets – the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship.
He limbered up for this Sunday’s showdown by finishing second behind Matt Hauser (AUS) at the Supertri Pro Series Final in Jersey, the first of a season-defining quartet of quick-fire contests that will also see him race at the T100 French Riviera and WTCS Final in Pontevedra.
Speaking on his latest YouTube video – embedded into this story below – which was recorded before last Sunday’s events in Jersey, he explained his thinking behind racing the four in such quick succession.
‘It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster’
“I’ve got four races in four weeks, over four different distances, so it’s a little bit different,” he says. “It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster of a year. I started off really strongly and then got some inflammation in the lungs, which put me on the back foot.
“I was unable to compete in a few races and underperformed in a few others, but now I’m feeling really good. I’ve had a really good training block here in Andorra.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge and just looking forward to racing again, really. It’s going to be tough, but I’m going to give it a good crack and see what happens.”
The news that he is ‘feeling really good’ will no doubt be of interest to his 70.3 rivals as the truly stacked field of superstar athletes prepares to do battle in Nice.
‘I feel like this course suits me’
Wilde has made no secret of his desire to secure this most illustrious prize, particularly as he came so close to winning it two years ago in Taupō when Belgian Jelle Geens agonisingly overhauled him in the final few kilometres.
“IRONMAN 70.3 Worlds has always been my A-race for this year,” he said. “I really want to tick off a good performance, and I feel like the course suits me with a flat and fast run but also quite a tough bike course.
“You want to go into every race and be competitive. As I said at the start of the season, the 70.3 Worlds was my A-race, so I’m really targeting it and looking to peak there. I obviously want to take the win. I was close in Taupō, so I’m looking forward to giving it another crack.
“After Hamburg, we did some more tests and scans and found there was some inflammation in the lungs. That answered the question of why I was having a good day here and a bad day there. Since then, we’ve slowly built things back up.
“The last six or seven weeks have been really good and consistent. I’m really happy and stoked with the form I’m in at the moment.”
‘It’s only 30 minutes down the road’
And he will certainly be making up for lost time, with his quadruple race block set to see him complete 282.2km across four different distances, on two different bikes and on four very different European courses.
“I think we’ve done a good job of managing the training load, as well as the different types of races I’ll be competing in,” he said. “Hopefully, it will be enough to produce some good results.
“There are a lot of athletes racing the 70.3 Worlds and then doing the double, so I thought I might as well do the same. I’m on the same coast, and it’s only 30 minutes down the road.
“Finishing off at the WTCS Grand Final is more about starting to get back into the Olympic-distance stuff. I really wanted to push forward from Alghero, but unfortunately the illness put me on the back foot. Ideally, the World Triathlon Championship Series was my priority this year, but things took a bit of a twist.
“I still really want to finish strongly and give myself some confidence heading into next season for the Olympic distance.”
The T100 French Riviera takes place on Saturday, September 19, while the WTCS Final in Pontevedra is on Sunday, September 27.
