Hayden Wilde has been commended for his outstanding athleticism at the end of the men’s triathlon race at the Commonwealth Games.
There was a touching moment nearing the finish when Wilde shared a high five with Yee before serving his 10-second time penalty.
Wilde and Yee were denied a thrilling sprint finish after the Kiwi was given a 10-second penalty earlier in the race for taking off his helmet too early at the end of the cycle.
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Triathlon rules state that a helmet must be on the athlete’s head and must be secured before the bicycle is removed from the rack, and must remain so “until the bicycle is safely back in the rack”.
“There was a high five between the two. There’s a great spirit there,” said the television commentator.
Wilde’s gesture garnered much praise on Twitter and Newsroom editor Suzanne McFadden tweeted, “Unfortunate to get a draconian-looking penalty, but what sportsmanship for the Kiwi.”
Andrew Cornaga/Photosport
Hayden Wilde wanders off to congratulate England’s Alex Yee after the men’s triathlon race.
The official New Zealand Team Commonwealth Games page wrote: “Sportsmanship at its best. You made us proud of Hayden Wilde.”
Wilde and Yee have a competitive but respectful rivalry with the Englishman who won silver at the Tokyo Olympics last year and Wilde took bronze.
At the World Triathlon Series in Yokohama in May, they also battled out a classic with Yee holding off the New Zealander.
There was another strong sportsmanship between the couple there. Yee reached for a water bottle on the left side of the lane, but after just a quick squirt realized Wilde hadn’t been in a position to grab his own drink. He quickly brought the bottle to his right hand and offered it to the Kiwi behind his back.
Wilde has protested the time penalty decision, which could take up to 30 days to rule and could potentially promote him to double gold with Yee.
“I don’t want to take anything from Alex, he deserved that medal. That has happened before, that there has been a double gold medal”, said Wilde after the race.