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Hayden Wilde gets his supertri win as Alex Yee struggles. Georgia Taylor-Brown tops women’s race

The runners-up from the first week of supertri racing moved up a spot on the podium in Chicago

Photo by: supertri

A few days ago we were wondering here at Triathlon Magazine if New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde could finally take a sprint over his nemesis, Great Britain’s Alex Yee (see below). While Wilde did get a big win at supertri Chicago this weekend, Yee was well back in eighth, so it wasn’t quite the dramatic finish fans were hoping for.

Can Hayden Wilde figure out how to beat Alex Yee at Supertri Chicago this weekend?

 

In the women’s race we also saw the runner-up from last weekend’s supertri League season opener in Boston move up a step on the podium as Great Britain’s Georgia Taylor-Brown took the women’s title.

Photo: supertri

Chicago Triathlon

Photo: supertri

This weekend’s racing was part of the Chicago Triathlon, which is now owned by supertri. After the age-group athletes competed – according to supertri there were 9,000 age-group competitors in Chicago – it was time for the 16 men and women from the four different teams to suit up for the supertri race. The unique supertri format featured three continuous 300 m swim/ 8 km bike/ 1.6 km run mini-triathlons in a row.

Surging clear on the final run

With 30-degree C temperatures greeting the athletes, both winners waited until the final run to make their moves. Taylor-Brown pulled away from the rest of the field, including her Crown Racing teammate, Olympic gold medalist Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA), who finished second, and American Taylor Spivey, who finished third for the second weekend in a row.

“It’s nice to be back on top as I’ve forgotten what it feels like to lift the tape,” Taylor-Brown said after the race. “But it’s so hot out here and all the girls did incredibly. I had to dig so deep and knew that I had to go round Taylor [Spivey] and Olivia [Mathias] and just back myself.”

 

Yee was never really in the mix for the win, trailing after the first swim and failing to make the lead group. Wilde found himself at the front pushing with the likes of France’s Olympic bronze-medalist Leo Bergere and Portugal’s Vasco Vilaca, who finished in second and third behind the Kiwi.

 

As opposed to pushing the pace early on, Wilde said after the race that he was a bit more conservative, which made the difference.

“I’m super stoked to be back on the top of the podium, it’s been a long time,” Wilde said. “We talked with the team and I just had to do what I don’t do. I was an absolute pussy out there and I actually hated the racing as it’s not me, but the team needed the big points and it was a hot day. I was scared coming into today because of how Paris went in the heat.”

Yee takes a race for the ages to win gold at Paris Olympics

At the Olympic Games in Paris Wilde made a bold move through the early part of the run, only to fade in the final kilometre of racing where he was passed by Yee. Last weekend in Boston the British star also bested Wilde in a sprint to the line.

Today’s win puts both Taylor-Brown and Wilde at the top of the supertri League overall standings, with Podium Racing (which includes last week’s winner Jeanne Lehair and Bergere) leading the team standings, five points ahead of Wilde and Taylor-Brown’s Crown Racing squad.

Next up for the supertri League is the London race on Sept. 8. Supertri Toulouse is scheduled for Oct. 6, with the final event taking place in NEOM on Nov. 3.