Alex Yee starts 2023 with a bang with big win at WTCS Abu Dhabi

It was a day for the running crew in Abu Dhabi. Shortly after Beth Potter took her first World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS) title, another triathlete with a running background, Alex Yee, ran his way to the men’s title. The Olympic silver medalist made a dramatic turnaround from his last Abu Dhabi appearance – last year he and Hayden Wilde were expected to duel for the world championship title at the Grand Final in Abu Dhabi, only to see France’s Leo Bergere take a dramatic win and the world title.

Yee was on his game this time, though, trailing swim-leader Vincent Luis (FRA) out of the water, with Wilde another 15 seconds back. While Wilde was sidelined by a flat as he came out of T1, Canadian Tyler Mislawchuk was able to bridge up to the breakaway group of 10 that included another Frenchman, Dorian Coninx. The breakaway wasn’t able to stay clear, though, and soon there was a big group cruising around the Yas Marina race track.

That made for a scramble to get things rolling out of T2. Mislawchuk was in the mix near the front, but a 10-second penalty for not getting his goggles into his bin after the swim derailed his hopes for a top finish.

Yee would surge up the hill in the closing stages of the race to nail the win, with Portugal’s Vasco Villa taking second and Brazil’s Manoel Messias rounding out the podium.

Mislawchuk would eventually take 12th, a fitting comeback after 18-months of injury issues.

You can see full results here.