ANALYSIS: Inconclusive footage, the methods of his racing rivals – including compatriot Tayler Reid – and the difficulty of assessing the cost of his controversial penalty could hamper Hayden Wilde’s quest for a shared gold medal.
The Kiwi triathlete claimed silver in the men’s sprint triathlon event on the opening day of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham after receiving a 10-second penalty for loosening his helmet for parking his bike in the transition from cycling to walking leg on Friday (UK time).
Wilde had a handy lead briefly into the final leg but was chased by England’s Alex Yee and then had to use his penalty as the pair entered the final straight together, with Yee winning gold by 13 seconds.
Andrew Cornaga/Photosport
New Zealander Hayden Wilde faces a 10-second penalty as England’s Alex Yee wins the men’s individual sprint triathlon at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Wilde, who won bronze at last year’s Tokyo Olympics while Yee took silver, called the penalty “extremely debatable” and decided to protest, with the goal that he and Yee would both receive gold medals.
However, with television footage proving difficult to determine if Wilde started to loosen his helmet before parking his bike, it could be difficult for the New Zealand team to overturn the penalty.
In the World Triathlon competition rules regarding transition areas: “All athletes must have their helmets securely fastened from the moment they remove their bicycle from the rack before the start of the bicycle leg, until after placing their bicycle on the rack after the finish of the bicycle leg.”
Wilde entered the transition from cycle to running with South Africa’s Reid and Jamie Riddle as the leading trio in the race. When they were ready to park their bikes, Wilde was seen with one hand on his helmet strap, while Reid and Riddle still had two hands on their bikes as they parked them before unfastening their helmets. It was unclear whether Wilde had loosened the helmet strap before the bike was parked.
“I was sure I had my bike in the rack, and I used it as a balance plate because when you come off the bike your legs are a little jelly, and then I knew I had it [his helmet] in one hand and got ready to untie him, and he came loose,” Wilde said in Birmingham after the race.
“I’ve done it almost all season and haven’t been caught for a penalty yet.”
“Essentially it becomes more of a legal process from this point on,” said former world-class triathlete Ryan Sissons, who works at the Games as part of the New Zealand team’s athlete support group.
“Under the rules, the decision of the day cannot be reversed. The finding of the incident on the day was inconclusive and therefore it is moving on to the next stage.”
World Triathlon will see to it that, with early indications, it could take up to 30 days to issue a ruling.
“If you look at the footage – and there are a lot of statues around plus photos – it’s very unclear whether he did it or not. Unless you have an X-ray machine to see what’s going on under his hands, you can’t prove he did, and you can’t prove he didn’t.”
Wilde wrote on his Instagram account that he and his team suggested World Triathlon to reverse the penalty and that he would get a gold medal while Yee also kept his.
“And just to be clear… I’ve formally protested the rather ‘dubious’ ten-second penalty I received today – I’m not going to appeal Alex’s win under any circumstances. The performance of the man was top class!!
“My team and I suggested to World Triathlon that the penalty be reversed and both Alex and I gave 2 golden reasons for this, once I knew I had the penalty to serve – it definitely impacted my running strategy.”
Wilde’s fellow NZ multisport star Braden Currie replied that the official who penalized him ruined a fantastic finish.
Andrew Cornaga/Photosport
New Zealander Hayden Wilde shows his frustration after taking silver in the men’s individual sprint triathlon.
“That official did an amazing job destroying an incredible battle that the world wanted to see. Sad for the sport and debilitating for you!” said Currie.
After the race, Wilde said the penalty created uncertainty during the run, but it will likely be difficult to make a verdict on a subjective matter.
In the competition rules, athletes who receive a time penalty have the choice to stop at the penalty bench and serve the penalty or continue to the finish. Failure to stop will result in disqualification when crossing the finish line, with the athlete then being able to appeal the penalty.
“I had to consider ‘will I be disqualified and then protest, or will I get that second place?’, and I am not going to risk that for my country,” said Wilde.
“I didn’t really know what to do – maybe I should have taken it on the first lap and then try to track down Alex, or see if I can stop him.”
Wilde will compete in the team’s mixed relay early Monday (1:30am NZT).