Wilde bags series title

New Zealand triathlete Hayden Wilde has won the 2024 supertri series title, despite being pipped at the line by Great Britain rival Alex Yee at the grand final in Neom, Saudi Arabia, yesterday.

Wilde’s second-place finish was enough to confirm Crown Racing as the team champions, as well as the New Zealander being the overall series champion ahead of Podium Racing’s Leo Bergere and Stars & Stripes’ Tim Hellwig.

Bergere finished third in Neom in a battle for the ages that came down to the final metres in the hot and windswept desert location.

Having locked horns throughout the supertri season, as well as in the ITU world championships and Olympic Games, Wilde and Yee’s rivalry was reunited in the final stages of yesterday’s triathlon.

Yee beat the New Zealander to the line by a second in the latest instalment of their era-defining rivalry.

Yee looked out of the picture with 400m to go but timed his run to perfection, overtaking Wilde and Bergere with the finish in sight to win another multisport classic in an unforgettable season for the 26-year-old Olympic gold medallist and world champion.

"The points were so crucial this year and coming to Neom, I was quite nervous," Wilde said.

"Last time I won the title, all I could get was top seven, so I’m happy to get a podium, because it was a bit nerve-racking over the day."

Wilde now switches focus to the ironman 70.3 world championships in Taupo next month.

— APL