Triathlon power couple Hayden Wilde and Hanne De Vet win New Zealand race

Hayden Wilde competed on home soil in New Zealand alongside his partner, Belgium’s Hanne De Vet, over the weekend, and they both ran to the wins in their respective races. Racing the olympic-distance Tinman Triathlon in Mount Maunganui on the North Island of New Zealand, Wilde and De Vet flew to the finish line, earning power couple status with a pair of victories.

 

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Tinman Triathlon

Wilde and De Vet had two very different races on Sunday. De Vet saw some competition in the water, but once she was on the bike, the race was hers to lose. She entered T2 with a two-minute lead, and after a 38-minute 10K to close out the race, she locked up a relatively easy win, crossing the line in 1:56:51 and winning by more than five and a half minutes.

The men’s race was much tighter. Wilde may be a two-time Olympic medallist, but he had to work for the win. He saw a 39-second deficit after the swim as James Corbett—a U23 athlete and fellow New Zealander—flew through the course in 14:51. Wilde exited the water in second place with a couple of other athletes close on his tail, but once he was out of T1 and onto the bike course, it was only a two-man race between him and Corbett.

Wilde’s 54:16 bike split helped him catch Corbett before T2, but a slow transition had the two men neck and neck as they set off on the 10K run course. Ultimately, Wilde had more left in the tank, and after a 31:43 run, he crossed the line in first. He finished in 1:44:01, just 14 seconds ahead of Corbett, who had a tremendous showing for second place overall.

Onto 70.3 worlds

Wilde and De Vet will now turn to the 70.3 World Championship, which will be held in Taupo, New Zealand, on Dec. 14 and 15. De Vet has raced multiple 70.3 events this season, earning several podium finishes. After her strong result in Mount Maunganui, she will carry momentum into next month’s race.

Wilde has had a busy season of short-course racing, but that shouldn’t stop him from being a threat on race day in Taupo. He finished second at 70.3 Taupo back in 2019, so he knows the course, and he won 70.3 Melbourne last year in convincing fashion, cruising to the line eight minutes ahead of second place. The world championship will of course have a much deeper field than any 70.3 Wilde has raced before, but he has proven that he can compete with the best of triathletes, so he will certainly be one to watch in December.