Alex Yee set for EPIC showdown with Hayden Wilde on home turf in blockbuster season opener

Olympic gold medal rivals Alex Yee and Hayden Wilde will go head-to-head for the first time this year, as they test the waters ahead of a huge summer showdown in Paris.

The pair, who took home silver and bronze behind Kristian Blummenfelt in Tokyo three years ago, are seen as two of the main favourites for the gold this time around in the French capital.

Over the sprint distance on February 24, each will have the opportunity to get one over the other and a star studded field at the World Triathlon Cup Napier.

Mouth watering race to kick things off

Last year, triathlon fans were forced to wait until WTCS Cagliari to see the highly anticipated match-up between Yee and Wilde, where the Brit pulled away in the final stages of a pulsating run battle to take the win.

[Photo Credit – Tommy Zaferes/World Triathlon]

Looking back on the season, that race in Italy, along with the World Triathlon Super Sprint Championships in Hamburg, ended up being the only major showdown between the pair last year when they were both at their best.

This season, there is an excitingly early opportunity for either Wilde or Yee to set the tone for the build up to the Olympic Games in just over six months time, where momentum and confidence could be crucial in giving one athlete the edge.

The best of the rest

Whilst Yee and Wilde might steal the headlines, there are a number of top class athletes who will be lying in wait, hoping to take a big scalp in New Zealand.

British triathlete Hugo Milner wins World Triathlon Cup Miyazaki in Japan in October 2023 (Photo Credit: World Triathlon).

Among the eight-strong British contingent, Hugo Milner is one of the most in-form cross country runners in the UK this season and will hope to translate that to more triathlon success, having picked up his first World Cup win last year.

Jonathan Brownlee is another notable name on the start list, with the three time Olympic medalist gunning for a slot at one more Olympic Games in Paris, with two more slots potentially up for grabs on Team GB.

Elsewhere, Norwegian WTCS winner and recent IRONMAN 70.3 Indian Wells champion Casper Stornes makes the trip, as does Portuguese star Ricardo Batista and Swiss strongman Simon Westermann.

Representing the home nation alongside Wilde are two men who are more than capable of getting on the podium, Taylor Reid and Dylan McCullough, plus the experienced Luke Willian of Australia.