Triathlon superstar Hayden Wilde reveals his tough road to the top and the day job he did first

Hayden Wilde is again on top of the triathlon world after his brillaint win at WTCS Abu Dhabi earlier this month. But things haven’t always been so easy for the charismatic Kiwi.

The Olympic silver medallist has started the 2025 World Triathlon Championship Series with a bang and is currently the world’s number one male triathlete.

But Wilde has revealed how his path to the top meant putting in some gruelling hours working a part-time job when he first started out in the sport.

“I’d get up at 5am” – Hayden Wilde

He told Woman’s Day: “I had a part-time job as a landscaper to pay for training. That meant that for three years, I’d get up at 5am, go swimming with the squad, run home for breakfast, work for about six hours, then come home and do more training.

“Once I didn’t have to be on my feet all day at work, my results started getting a lot better! Learning landscaping was great as it helped me understand what life is like outside sport, which is something a lot of athletes struggle with. But right now, I’m pretty happy. I think I’m pretty lucky, really.”

Wilde became a professional triathlete at 19 and went on to win bronze in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics – New Zealand’s first triathlon medal in 13 years. He also took home a gold – of sorts – in Paris last year. As well as that silver for almost denying Alex Yee the ultimate title glory.

The turning point for Wilde

But Hayden’s success story was only possible after a “sliding doors” moment as a youngster, when he was more into playing rugby, football, cricket and hockey with his older brothers.

At the time, he says: “Running, biking and cycling wasn’t really in the mix.”

Then, at secondary school in Whakatāne, Wilde took up an outdoor education class which introduced him to orienteering, adventure racing and multisports, including long-distance running.

He said: “My teacher, who was also my friend’s mum, told me I raced well and was pretty fast. She asked if I’d consider competing.

“I thought, ‘Why not?’ So I did a duathlon – a bike ride and a run, which went pretty well. Then it just grew from there.”