NZ triathlete Wilde’s world title hopes dashed

New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde has had to settle for third place in the world triathlon series after coming painfully close to clinching his maiden title.

Hayden Wilde.
Photo: Photosport

Instead France’s Leo Bergere upset the odds to win his first world crown after winning the elite men’s race at the season-ending event in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

Bergere, who was third in the rankings going into the final race of the series, finished his race in a time of 1:44:14 to secure the gold medal and win the championship.

The championship had come down to the wire going into Saturday’s race but Bergere came out of it as the unlikely victor. Great Britain’s Alex Yee had needed to place third to win but finished three seconds behind Belgium’s Jelle Geens to place fourth.

Wilde, who had led the standings before the final race of the series, needed to place fifth and finished in sixth, having been past in the closing stages of the run by Australian Matthew Hauser.

“The run is normally my strength so I don’t really know what happened there,” Wilde said of his late fade.

“I’m going to have to go back and assess. First lap was rough. I think I was a bit flustered when (second-placed American) Morgan Pearson attacked and I couldn’t go but second to fourth lap I felt really good and I was actually gaining back but it wasn’t enough on the day.

“I had a great swim, I just missed that front (cycling) group and that could’ve been that. Third place, you’ve got to be stoked with that and we just have to move forward from here.”

– RNZ/Reuters