Alex Yee runs to victory in WTCS Yokohama
A stellar line up of world-class athletes were the top billing in the men’s World Triathlon Championship Series Yokohama, with two athletes who have been imperious since winning medals at the Tokyo Olympics putting on a race thriller which eventually saw Britain’s Alex Yee run to victory.
It was New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde who pushed Yee hard to the finishing line, matching the Brit stride for stride in the final leg of the 10k run resulting in a final 60 metre dash to the winning tape.
You might have been forgiven to thinking these two were out of the running after the 1,500m swim as both were languishing at the tail-end of the swimming snake line some 35 seconds behind the Frenchmen two-time World Champion Vincent Luis and Dorian Coninx who were the first to exit the water. But both had awful T1 transitions and the seconds lost allowed the other athletes to catch up and create a massive peloton for the bike section.
Around thirty plus athletes formed the main group and with the rain having stopped and the roads dry the relatively flat course slowed the race down enough for Wilde (who had the fastest bike time) and Yee (5th fastest bike time) to work their way into the main group. From that point on it was pretty much 50 minutes of nothingness as no-one was breaking away or being dropped as the large group entered T2 .
Fast transition was to play its part again as German Jonas Schomburg lead the way out onto the run though it was not long before Wilde made his way to the front of the race with Yee working his way up to Kiwis shoulder. This was looking like a re-run of the Tokyo Olympics between these two medallist without the Norwegian Viking Blummenflet to spoil the party.
Both started to pull clear of the chasing pack who were now beginning to spread apart. It was the Frenchman Leo Bergere who looked as though he could make ground running into third place with his fellow compatriot Pierre Le Corre in fourth place trying to attack.
But it was the Kiwi who was on a mission putting in a blistering pace to make distance between him and the French pair. But the Kiwi could not shake of Yee who stuck to his should like glue for the rest of the race.
As they both turn the final turn and the blue carpet ahead Yee made his move at the right time and conjured up a 60metre dash to the winning tape which Wilde had no answer too
It was a standout performance for the Brit and a valiant performance from the Kiwi that made it a two-horse thriller.
A win in Yokohama for Alex Yee with Hayden Wilde in a close silver, Leo Bergere completed the podium with bronze. which moves the Frenchman to the top of the WTCS leader-board.
Brilliant results for future triathlon stars in Australia’s Matt Hauser who ran through to take 4th, and Portugals Vasco Vilaca in 7th who promised so much prior to the pandemic.
