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Alex Yee just delivered one of the most thrilling finishes in triathlon history, bagging Team GB’s fifth gold medal of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The 26-year-old sensation looked destined for silver with less than a mile to go but stunned everyone with a last-minute burst of speed, overtaking New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde in a heart-stopping finale.
The Britishman was trailing by approximately 15 seconds as Wilde put in an incredible run after making up lost time on the bike.
But just when it seemed the medals were all but decided, Yee had other ideas. With the clock ticking down and just a few hundred metres left, the Tokyo 2020 silver medallist kicked into high gear.
Spectators in Paris and viewers at home watched in awe as he reeled in Wilde, crossing the finish line on Pont Alexandre III six seconds ahead in a victory even he could hardly believe.
On his epic win, Yee commented:
“I still don’t really know what to say to be honest, I’m a bit lost for words and so grateful.
“At 5k I was going through a real bad patch and at 2.5k I thought I’m going to give myself one last chance and not give up and here we are. I’m still a bit lost for words.
“I was just saying ‘anything can happen’. I’m still just that normal guy who works hard at my sport and loves what I’m doing.
“For me, it’s amazing that I can be in this position and I just believed it. “They [his team] came and lined the streets and supported me and everyone of them gave me a push to get to Hayden.
“And I appreciate him for giving me that push as well and really extracting everything out of my body.” Yee was in 18th position after the swim but quickly made-up time on the bike leg to join a hefty peloton of around 20 riders who worked together all the way up until T2. And with the aid of fellow Team GB triathlete Sam Dickinson, who placed Yee perfectly ahead of the run leg, it was a story ready to unfold.
