HAYDEN WILDE STRIKES IN TOULOUSE

Kiwi star delivers a Super League Championship masterclass in France to tighten grip on series

Hayden Wilde has today delivered a Super League Triathlon Championship masterclass in Toulouse, France, with the Kiwi’s utterly dominant display leaving the field with no answer to his swim, bike and run prowess.

Already way ahead at the top of the overall Championship leaderboard after wins in London and Malibu, today’s race in the south of France saw the 25-year-old from the major tri destination of Taupo in New Zealand’s north island reinforce his grip on the title ahead of the 2022 Series’ finale in NEOM, Saudi Arabia, on 29 October.

Such is his 2022 Super League Triathlon dominance, that Wilde came close to winning the series outright today with a race to spare, but he was denied by a late surge from Antipodean Aussie rival Matt Hauser late on the run.

It was super close out there today, which made for some good racing. I had some good swims today and waited for the last round to put my head down and go for it on the bike. That gave me a good buffer and it
was great to run away with it.

Hayden Wilde

French racer Coninx would score a statement second place, with Japan’s Kenji Nener taking third in what the Japanese athlete would label the race of his life.

I’m just ecstatic with today. I can’t comprehend what’s happened and I’ve had the race of my life today. I can’t explain it. I love this sport and Super League makes it a great concept for people to watch. Thanks to the people of Toulouse for making it so special!

Kenji Nener

If Wilde looked serene at the finale, Hauser was putting in the day’s most remarkable run leg to move into fourth overall in the race and keep himself in the hunt for the Championship podium with Tayler Reid come NEOM on 29 October.

Given the strength of French athletes in Super League down the years – hello, Vincent Luis – the stunning city centre of Toulouse was a natural home for Super League’s debut French event, with strong crowds lining up to witness the city centre racing.

That venue saw the inaugural river swim in Super League Triathlon Championship history, plus a tight and twisting metropolitan course that looked set to disrupt the race favourites. But who would fly today in this city famed for its aerospace industry?

The racing was tight until the final Stage of today’s Triple Mix format, where Wilde turned on the turbo boasters on the bike to leave the field gasping in his slipstream. The Kiwi maintained his advantage on the swim and run, clearly enjoying himself enough at the finale of the latter that he had time to carry an inflatable shark across the finish line in a nod to his Super League Sharks squad.

Today saw the Triple Mix format deployed by Super League, breaking down as…
Stage One: Swim: 300m/Bike: 4km/Run: 1km
Stage Two: Run: 1km/Bike 4km/Swim: 300m
Stage Three: Bike: 4km/Swim: 300m/Run: 2km

Also in the fun tactical mix were the Short Chute awards and the team format, with Sharks in pole position at the race’s start ahead of the Cheetahs and Scorpions.

STAGE 1

SWIM

Under glorious sunshine, the athletes leapt into the Garonne River, which runs all the way to Bordeaux in the west of France, for a 300m swim with South Africa’s Jamie Riddle the first to exit and the first out of T1 to take the Short Chute for the Eagles.

BIKE

Onto the snaking, hilly 4km bike course and young Brit racer Dan Dixon pushed the pace to string the pack out, witnessing Kiwi Tayler Reid and America’s Chase McQueen clinging to his slipstream and major tri figures such as Jonny Brownlee falling 11secs back. Dixon would maintain a 5sec advantage to score another Short Chute for the Eagles.

RUN

Onto the 1km, one lap run and a wincing, clearly hurting Dixon would lead the race with a pack of chasers eating into his advantage. Wilde and Hauser would soon make the pass over Dixon to take the Stage 1 win and second place, respectively, ahead of Canada’s Tyler Mislawchuk.

STAGE TWO

RUN

The second run leg of the day saw a big group share the pacing duties at the front, the cameras showcasing the appeal of Toulouse and bumper crowds lining the course. Brit athlete Chris Perham would take the run honours at the finale, scoring some points for his Scorpions team.

BIKE

The second and penultimate 4km bike leg largely consisted of a major pack taking on the cobbles, sharp hills and tight turns of the French city. On home soil, Dorian Coninx would enter T2 first ahead of Wilde and Mislawchuk, but the top 15 were separated by just 5secs.

SWIM

Stage 2’s 300m swim finale was again a tight group affair, with little separating the contenders. Japan’s Kenji Nener would be the first to exit the water and into transition, with McQueen and Riddle close behind and, again, little separating the field.

STAGE 3

BIKE

The Pursuit-style format saw Hayden Wilde only have a 2sec advantage at the front of the 4km bike course, but the 25-year-old Kiwi was quick to establish a seemingly insurmountable 12sec advantage that would be extended to 17secs by T1.

SWIM

Into the chilly Pyrenees-hailing waters, and Wilde’s advantage was again measured in daylight terms as news initially filtered through that Matt Hauser had dropped on the bike leg.

RUN

Onto the final run, this time a two-lap 2km tour of the city centre, and Wilde looked comfortable and in command throughout. The crowd were euphoric at the triathlon masterclass taking place, with Wilde clearly enjoying himself as he crossed the line with an inflatable shark in tow.