Olympic silver medallist Hayden Wilde headlines the elite men's field for the opening event of the World Triathlon Championship Series at Al Hudayriyat Island in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
The New Zealand triathlete looked set for gold at the 2024 Olympics in Paris only to be pipped on the home stretch by good friend and great rival Alex Yee of Britain in a thrilling finish.
At the 2020 Tokyo Games, Wilde took home bronze after finishing behind Yee and gold medal winner Kristian Blummenfelt of Norway.
Yee – who won the last season-opener in Abu Dhabi in 2023 – is absent from the field this weekend.
Wilde, though, has already been safely ensconced in the capital for a month, taking advantage of the UAE weather and culture. “I've been coming to Abu Dhabi for the last five years, and I've just felt like it's a second home for me,” the 27-year-old told The National.
“You know, it's the people, the community, and the culture that are just so pleasant to be around. You just feel so welcome, and that's why I decided to come here a month earlier.
“Obviously, it was a bit cold in Europe, so to come here in the Abu Dhabi winter, it's super nice; it's great. The weather's nice; you get to wake up, and it’s probably going to be blue skies, and I’m just super excited to race here again.”
Wilde believes his knowledge of Abu Dhabi, backed by a month’s solid preparation at Hudayriyat, will play into his favour as he looks to win in the UAE for the first time.
During his month's preparation, Wilde settled into a training routine that would see him visit 321 Sports at Hudayriyat Island where he would use the track and swim in the open water.
“I guess my past experiences, in a racing point of view, has not been the best from my performances, so I'm looking forward to moving it to Hudayriyat, where I do a lot of training, and hopefully we'll be able to get that win I've always been desiring here,” he added.
“I've got such a cool fan base around here and I'm looking forward to racing in front of them. They have got such a cool community base here.
“It’s a really nice environment there because you go down there on an evening, and you've got the Abu Dhabi Cycling Club; they've got so many people racing around, and it's really, really cool just to be around that vibe.”
Looking further ahead, Wilde is already planning for his next tilt at Olympic gold in Los Angeles in 2028.
“[I'm] now looking forward to setting my sights on LA. It's three-and-a-half years away, so I've got some time to prepare and build and hopefully be able to bring that gold medal home; the one that I've always desired.
“It's going to be an interesting three-and-a-half years. I'm looking forward to it. To that build-up, but also, the start here in Abu Dhabi.
“The World Series is the first target. I would love to kind of start well here and then … I'm looking forward to really challenging for another opportunity at the series title.”
Standing in the way of Wilde in Abu Dhabi will be a wealth of top talent including Australian world No 8 Matt Hauser and Brazilian No 9 Miguel Hidalgo.
The 2020 World Championship silver medallist Vasco Vilaca (currently 15th in world) of Portugal will also be on the start line, as will world No 17 Hugo Milner, who is leading the British charge in Yee's absence.
Last year's world title was won by Yee who secured his first crown after finishing third behind Wilde and Leo Bergere in the World Triathlon Championship Series finals.
Yee just needed to finish in the top six to seal the championship, which he did comfortably despite trailing a group of five breakaway riders early in the cycling section of the race.
Wilde won that race in Spain, finishing third in the overall standings behind Yee and Frenchman Bergere, who was second.
Yee was way out in front after the season finale, racking up 4,070 points, while Bergere managed 3,728 and Wilde 3,726.
