Kiwi appeals silver medal finish after controversial penalty

By Kris Shannon

Hayden Wilde has claimed New Zealand's first medal of the Commonwealth Games - but the exact colour remains in question after a dramatic day in Birmingham.

The Kiwi triathlete took silver behind England's Alex Yee but believed he had been denied a shot at gold by a questionable penalty call, describing the decision as "bull****" following the race.

The New Zealand team launched an official protest on Wilde's behalf and, despite the 24-year-old happily accepting the silver medal at Sutton Park, the outcome of that appeal could take up to 30 days to determine.

Yee will not be denied the victory he fairly earned but, if the Kiwis' protest is successful, a second gold medal may be awarded.

Leaving his fate in the hands of the officials only added to a morning of mixed emotions for Wilde, whose outstanding performance saw him lead Yee for much of the race before being robbed of the chance to sprint for gold.

Wilde incurred a 10-second penalty in transition, being adjudged to have removed his helmet too early at the end of the bike leg, and was forced into an agonising wait in the penalty box near the finish line as Yee eased to victory.

The pair are great mates and Wilde gave the Englishman a fist pump before applauding his procession down the home straight. But the Tokyo bronze medallist believed he should have been allowed the opportunity to seize top spot on the podium.

Wilde was overheard telling his support crew that the penalty was "bull****" and later reiterated his displeasure with the officials' decision.

"I definitely knew what happened - and I don't think that was a penalty at all," Wilde said. "It was taking off my helmet before racking my bike, and I'm more than happy to see the replay. I think it was a bit of a stitch up, but that's racing."

Wilde could have opted to race Yee over the line without accepting his penalty, but he would have been immediately disqualified and initially thought there would be no way to protest the decision. It was risk or reward, he said, "and I wasn't going to take that risk for New Zealand."

It was clear Wilde, rather than being irate, was instead disappointed at being unable to complete the showdown that he and Yee had spent the last year anticipating.

The Brit took silver at last year's Tokyo Olympics, and when Wilde crossed closely behind him to win bronze, it was clear in their embrace how much respect the rivals held for each other. They proceeded to trade victories in the World Triathlon Championship series and the stage was set for another major battle.

Yee's undoubted running strength and sprinting abilities might have been good enough win that battle regardless of Wilde's penalty, but until the final moments the race had progressed better than the Kiwi could have ever imagined.

He emerged from the 750m swim in third and quickly established a lead trio on the bike with compatriot Tayler Reid and South African Jamie Riddle. Knowing Yee was likely to thrive on the run, Wilde worked as hard as possible to extend the 11-second edge he held after his weakest discipline.

"I definitely surprised myself on that swim - that was the best thing that could have possibly happened," Wilde said. "It's not in the game plan, actually, to be that good at swimming.

"I looked back and saw I still had some good athletes with me, and said, 'Boys, this is where the medals are, let's just do it. It doesn't matter how deep we go'."

The trio took regular turns on the front throughout the 20km bike leg but Yee never let him get clear and Wilde was 17 seconds ahead as he charged in front to begin the 5km run.

Unfortunately for the Kiwi, the transition penalty was soon announced and Yee soon set about stalking his prey, cutting the deficit to seven seconds after an incredible first lap.

His power on the hills were clear, and Wilde smiled and tapped Yee on the back as he finally went in front at the top of one rise. But the Kiwi later revealed that had been part of his pre-race strategy.

"The game plan was that if I had a gap on Alex to let him catch me and then really attack on the last 800m," Wilde said. "But I had the penalty to serve."

The pre-race favourites had established enough of an advantage for Wilde to hold no serious concerns about letting silver slip - stopping the clock in a time of 50:47, 13 seconds behind Yee - and he later made clear it was a prize he would cherish.

"It's obviously not the colour I want but it was an upgrade from Tokyo," he said. "So, happy days."

If his protest is deemed successful, however, he could eventually be even happier.

Reid eventually crossed the line in eighth, 1:11 off the pace after giving his all to his teammate, while compatriot Dylan McCullough was 10 seconds further ahead in seventh.

And the controversy for the Kiwis didn't end in the men's race, with Nicole van der Kaay also picking up a time penalty. It wasn't quite as costly as Wilde's, though, as she crossed in ninth place, 1:59 off gold-medal winner Flora Duffy of Bermuda.

Andrea Hansen (nee Hewitt) completed the New Zealand contingent by finishing in 18th, 4:29 back.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission