Chris McCormack: Why Hayden Wilde really needed Chicago win ahead of blockbuster Alex Yee showdown in London

Two races into supertri 2024’s eagerly-awaited series, and Alex Yee vs Hayden Wilde stands at 1-1 with everything to play for.

The hype around these two short-course superstars was at fever pitch heading into the series opener in Boston – just days on from their epic battle for Olympic triathlon gold at Paris 2024.

Great Britain’s Yee of course had claimed top spot on the podium in France, passing Wilde in the dying stages as the New Zealand star started to wilt in the baking heat.

Wilde had further anguish to deal with when supertri kicked off in Boston as Yee again found the finishing kick to outsprint his great rival for another victory. Followed of course by that much-talked-about celebration (Kylian Mbappe or Cole Palmer, take your pick!).

One of the people left to pick up Hayden after that bitter blow was his supertri team manager at Crown Racing – two-time IRONMAN World Champion Chris McCormack.

Macca on Wilde psyche

While Wilde would not appear on the outside to ever be short on confidence, Macca admitted that his charge was “flat” as the roadshow moved on to Chicago.

He explained: “It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Hayden. He got beaten at the Olympics which was a tough one and he came into supertri Boston a little bit down from the Olympics performance.

“I thought his Olympic performance was remarkable, and anyone who watched it would say the same as he only lost it in the last 100 yards.”

There was much riding on Chicago then for Wilde as he lined up against Yee once more, only this time things would be different. The Brit struggled right from the start after losing ground on the initial swim. while Hayden was always close to the front rank as he set up a measured victory. One which Macca says was much-needed.

Hayden Wilde wins supertri Chicago 2024 [Photo credit: supertri]

Chicago revenge, and on to London

“Losing in Boston left him flat and he really needed the win in Chicago, and that’s why I allocated the Short Chute to him because he’s the type of athlete who snowballs with confidence and coming off this he will be a lot tougher to beat in supertri London.

“We are all looking forward to it and to see if he keeps that momentum going but in front of his home fans I am sure Alex will have something to say about it.”

So now the countdown begins to that next meeting between those two great rivals – Sunday September 8 in London. Yee in front of his adoring home crowd, Wilde looking to take the lead in their personal battle in supertri 2024. It should be a beauty with Wilde holding a six-point edge over Yee as he heads the early-season standings.

[Graphic courtesy of supertri]

Written by

Graham Shaw

Graham has been involved with TRI247 & RUN247 since the summer of 2021. Since then he has provided strategic direction for all news and is passionate about the growth of triathlon as a fan sport.

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