By James Reid in Qatar
Hayden Wilde completed his incredible comeback from injury with a near-perfect T100 Triathlon world title victory in Qatar.
Wilde was left sidelined with broken ribs and a broken collar bone by a horror crash in May but defied the odds to return to action four months later, winning three consecutive races to head to Qatar as the hot favourite for the overall title.
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It was a label upon which he duly delivered, with the New Zealander demonstrating his trademark speed on the run to pull clear and cruise to a remarkable victory.
“I am proud of myself to get back to the start line and get back to the form,” he said.
“It is always the most daunting thing – can you get back to where you were? I was really happy to finish off here.
“It was just about getting back racing and getting back healthy. I was hoping I was able to get to form and obviously the form came pretty early which was cool.
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“It is big kudos to my team and my partners to help push me along through the process.”
Wilde looked imperious despite sweltering conditions in Qatar, as he profited from a strong swim to quickly join the front pack on the bike.
That set him up for a dominant victory, as he left the second transition in front and streaked clear on foot, eventually winning by one minute and 15 seconds ahead of Morgan Pearson.
It helped him seal a $200,000 payday for the overall series victory, alongside his winnings from each of his four other individual stage wins from across the series.
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The T100 Triathlon World Tour takes athletes across the world as they race over 100km, a longer course than the traditional Olympic distance.
Over $8m is paid out to athletes across the year as part of efforts to professionalise and elevate the sport of triathlon.
Despite having dominated over 100km this year, the 28-year-old remained rooted to the ground as he looked ahead to what else he can achieve in the sport.
“Everyone is beatable. I wouldn’t know how to beat myself but I always look to find ways to improve,” he said. “I’m sure people will find a way.
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“There’s always things I can improve on in my racing, I am still looking at a lot of things which is nice.
“These guys always push me, you can never take the gas pedal off. Olympic qualifying starts soon so I will get prepped for that, focusing on LA and still dabbling in the T100 next year.”
