Paris 2024 Triathlon: Alex Yee races to men's individual gold

Great Britain's Alex Yee made a spectacular comeback to win gold in the men's individual triathlon race at Paris 2024 on 31 July.

Yee had looked all but beaten as New Zealand's Hayden Wilde broke to the front on the second lap of the run leg, after 32 athletes had formed a thick leading group during the 40km bike ride.

But just as victory looked within the New Zealander's grasp, Yee came storming back in the final metres of the race, crossing the finish line in 1:43:33 for a famous victory. Wilde took silver in 1:43:39 with France's Leo Bergere winning bronze in 1:43:43.

"I think it's one of those bizarre ones, it's bizarre to me to be honest," Yee told the media when asked what it felt like to stand on top of the Olympic podium. "I'm so lucky to be the one that is able to do this amazing sport. There's hundreds of people that I should cut up and give to because they've worked so hard for me and allowed me to be in this position. This one's for them."

Yee is known as one the fastest runners in the men's field but admitted to struggling when Wilde took the reigns in the race to put daylight behind himself and the new Olympic champion. With 1.4km to go, Yee was 12 seconds behind the New Zealander and the gold and silver medal positions seemed almost a foregone conclusion.

"At 5k I was going through a real bad patch," Yee continued, looking back on the kilometres before his thrilling comeback in the run. "Honestly, I probably thought the race was over."

Alex Yee: A child of London 2012 and hero of Paris 2024

Yee counts himself as part of the legacy of the Olympics in London that took place 12 years ago in the same city where he grew up.

“I probably would say I’m a product of the 2012 Olympics being from London," he told Olympics,com in an interview. "But also being the first Olympics I can remember watching live was amazing.”

However, while London may have been his first memory of the Games, it is at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 where he has made his name.

In Japan's capital, he burst out of the shadow of the Brownlee brothers, winning individual silver and mixed team gold. Today, his growth as an athlete was clear to see as he skillfully managed the 1500m swim before an intelligent bike ride saw him start the 10km run with a strong shout at gold.

The crowds that stood rows deep along the Champs Elysees, including a strong British contingent, would have given Yee a big lift as he fought his way back from 12 seconds behind with just over a kilometre left to take a spectacular gold.

But in the end it can have only been gnarly grit and the self-belief in adversity that the greatest athletes have that pushed him toward the finish line.

And when it mattered most, Yee dug deep and found the strength he needed to secure the most improbable of victories.

As he himself said: "I wanted to give myself that one last chance and not give up on what I've worked so hard towards and other people have worked with me to achieve."

Triathlon: Men's individual triathlon podium

Gold: Alex Yee (Great Britain)

Silver: Hayden Wilde (New Zealand)

Bronze: Leo Bergere (France)