Alex Yee won England’s first gold medal at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games after Hayden Wilde was handed a 10-second penalty in the men’s triathlon at Sutton Park.
Yi fell on the puck after falling behind in swimming and cycling, but continued to chase New Zealand’s Wild in 50 minutes and 34 seconds, finishing 13 seconds behind Australia’s Matthew Hauser by 3 seconds.
Team England was even more successful in the women’s triathlon as Georgia Taylor-Brown won the silver medal and Team Scotland’s Beth Potter won the podium finish.
Lee, who hung the gold medal around his neck, said: “It’s a little fairy tale.
“I worked so hard for this. It was my biggest race of the year and it was for the England team, for myself, for my family and for everyone. I’m proud to be able to do it.”
The 24-year-old swimmer finished in 16th place, some 15 seconds behind the top group.
Yi quickly struggled on the bike and battled Wild on the podium for a superior result.
He states, “I never gave up. I knew the course was tough and fair and the hill could kill you every time, so I knew I had a chance of catching it if I could climb the paddy field.
“It was amazing to be a part of that and to have that moment. It’s really special because I don’t know how often I get that moment.”
Wild was ahead of Yi in most of the matches, but was penalized 10 seconds for getting off after removing his helmet earlier than allowed.
At the time, Wild was competing in a 5K race with the goal of reclaiming the bronze medal at Tokyo 2020.
At Sutton Park, there was a great moment of sportsmanship as Yi started breathing from the leader’s neck. The British overtook Wild and his opponents cheered as he stepped forward.
Asked about the penalty, Yi admitted it was a shame the race was decided by a “little mistake”.
He added: “I’m really sorry that Hayden was penalized. You don’t want to see it. It’s a bit disappointing that our race is defined by something technical and his little mistake, but it’s a race.”
“I have a lot of time for Hayden, and I really feel like he brought out the best in me today, so I’m really proud.”
In the women’s triathlon, Taylor-Brown finished second only to Flora Duff in Bermuda. Flora Duff has returned home to retain the Commonwealth Games triathlon title.
Duffy returned home 55 minutes, 25 seconds and 41 seconds ahead of Taylor-Brown, who was at the first Commonwealth Games, and was greeted by the winner’s bow as he crossed the finish line.
There was also a Scottish place on the podium as Potter returned home in third place, a further 40 seconds behind Taylor Brown.
Duffy and Taylor-Brown traded a couple of times in the middle of the bike, competing for two front positions in most encounters.
However, Duff made the transition better, moving five seconds ahead and extending his lead to 5km by the time he got home.
Potter led the first leg of the race, cutting through the water in under 10 minutes, making good use of the chase and finishing strong.
After winning the medal, Potter said, “My real goal was to win a medal this year. I’m glad I did.”
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Source: Metro
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