Hayden Wilde is the new Ironman 70.3 vice world champion, after a thrilling race in Taupo, New Zealand.

The Paris Olympic silver medallist put his hometown advantage to good use. After an 8th-placed 1.9-kilometre swim behind teammate Henri Schoeman and just 32 seconds behind the leader, Wilde went to work flattening the hilly 90-kilometre bike course in a time of 1:58:51, the fastest split of the day.

First through the bike-to-run transition from a group of six, Wilde led through 18 kilometres of the half-marathon, passed only in the closing stages by Jelle Geens.

Wilde said post-race, “I’ve raced Jelle for many years now. I know he is a classy runner so even though everyone was like, ‘You’ve got it in the bag’ I was like, ‘He’ll keep chomping at me no matter what.’ And yeah, that’s what happened today.

“I put the pedal down and just wanted to get a bit of a gap and the legs felt really good going onto the run, I think it was mostly from the crowd that was boosting me up a bit and saw my coach telling me to slow down. Coming from an Olympic distance background, it’s really hard for us to actually pull back and go to a different pace. I was really struggling to do that and I think I paid the price.”

Schoeman, also making his Ironman 70.3 World Championship debut, rode in the front group for most of the bike leg. He then ran a steady half marathon and overtook last year’s champion Rico Bogen to finish sixth.

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Lauren Parker Leads Bahrain Victorious 13’s Medal Haul at World Championships

Lauren Parker Leads Bahrain Victorious 13’s Medal Haul at World Championships

The Bahrain Victorious 13 captured an impressive medal haul at the World Triathlon Championships in Wollongong, Australia this weekend.

Lauren Parker led the campaign, winning two medals including her fifth paratriathlon world title.

The paratriathlon races opened the elite competition on Saturday, where Parker once again proved untouchable. She led from the front, exiting the 750-metre swim first, hammering the 20-kilometre handbike leg with the day’s fastest split, and then powering through the 5-kilometre wheelchair run to cross the line 70 seconds clear of her nearest rival.

Unbeaten all year, Parker’s home victory carried extra meaning as she reclaimed the crown she relinquished last season.

“Everyone was so supportive out there and it definitely made me push a little bit harder,” Parker said post-race. “I wanted to get back on top again and I really worked hard for this one and I’m just happy to get it done.”

She also revealed her next sporting ambition: to qualify for the Winter Paralympic Games, with ongoing training in cross-country skiing and biathlon.

On Sunday, Parker added to her tally with a silver medal in the Para Mixed Relay World Championships, helping the Australian team to a podium finish.

In the men’s elite race, Vasco Vilaça placed fifth to secure the overall World Triathlon Championship Series bronze medal, returning to the world podium for the first time since earning silver at the one-day championship in Hamburg in 2020.

Emma Lombardi also delivered a standout performance, claiming bronze in the women’s race – her best finish of the season – and vaulting seven places to 11th overall in the Series standings. She swam into the pointy end on the 1.5-kilometre swim alongside compatriot Cassandre Beaugrand, then attacked on the 40-kilometre bike to lead onto the 10-kilometre run where she battled against the eventual winner and series champion Lisa Tertsch and a hard-charging Bianca Seregni to hold onto the final spot on the podium.

Beaugrand, who had stayed in the lead pack throughout the swim and bike, was forced to withdraw on the run to conclude her season ranked seventh overall.

The results in Wollongong wrap up the Bahrain Victorious 13’s short course season. The team now turns its attention to middle distance racing with the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Marbella, Spain and Ironman 70.3 Bahrain on the horizon, as well as the T100 Tour’s final two stops in Dubai and Qatar.

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Kat Matthews Runs to Silver and a Record Finish in Kona

Kat Matthews Runs to Silver and a Record Finish in Kona

Kat Matthews led the charge for the Bahrain Victorious 13 on Saturday, taking her third IRONMAN World Championship silver medal at the historic final all-women’s race in Kona, Hawaii. The British star also set a new run course record on the way to her first-ever...

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