- Fans have praised New Zealander Hayden Wilde
- The Kiwi was defeated by Alex Yee
- But Wilde was merciful in his defeat in Paris
New Zealander Hayden Wilde saw a historic Olympic victory slip away with just 200 metres to go.
But the friendly Kiwi had nothing but praise for his rival, Alex Yee, who knocked him out in a dramatic final in Paris.
With the finish in sight, Britain’s Yee, who won silver in Tokyo three years ago, stepped up a gear and passed Wilde, who had held a comfortable lead for much of the final stage of the 10,000 metres.
Yee crossed the finish line four seconds ahead of his rival, but rather than express his disappointment at seeing victory slip through his fingers, Wilde threw himself at the Briton and gave him an emotional and heartfelt hug.
The newly crowned Olympic champion described Wilde as a “comrade and rival” and said he was grateful to be competing against him.
“I’ve been working towards this one goal for three years and it’s very special to be here,” he said.
Hayden Wilde has been praised by fans for this act after he lost the gold medal in Paris
Team GB’s Adam Yee beat Wilde to win gold in the final 200m of the triathlon
“I’m so thankful that I have Hayden and that he’s had such great fights.”
Wilde wanted to make history in Paris and become the first New Zealander in 20 years to win gold in the men’s triathlon.
He played with composure from the start, but didn’t complain when Yee beat him for gold.
“It was a solid, solid race and the best man won. I did my best,” Wilde told Nine.
“I put everything into it. It was amazing.”