Cameron Harper: Ironman NZ commentator on Hayden Wilde coming second in Ironman 70.3 World Championship

Published Dec 15, 2024, 2:14 AM

Triathlete Hayden Wilde has placed second in his debut 70.3 Ironman World Championship event in Taupo.

The Olympic silver medallist finished with a time of three hours, 33 minutes and 22 seconds, finishing one minute and 13 seconds behind Belgian winner Jelle Geens.

Ironman NZ commentator Cameron Harper joined Piney to discuss.

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You're listening to the Weekend Sport Podcast with Jason Fine from Newstalks edb.

A podium finish main time for Kiwi triathlete Height and Wild in his first iron Man World Championship event in Topol. Earlier today, the.

Twenty twenty four vin Fast Ironman seventy point three World champion goes to Belgian's very own Yellaheens in a smoking time of three hours. In thirty two minutes. Wow, what a celebration well earned today.

You have to give it up for this man. He put it out there. There's there literally, he absolutely went for it and has every reason to be so proud, heartbroken but proud.

At twenty six, the future ahead of him that's as bright as the President. I mean, well done. A good fight there for Hayden while second place in three point thirty three and exhausted, fully spent on the carpet.

The Olympic silver medalist placing Sacn behind Belgian Yellaheens. As you heard there are Toma three thirty three minutes, twenty two seconds, fellow New Zealander Kyle Smith coming home in fourth place. Let's bring in iron Man commentator Cameron Harper. Cameron how close was Hayden Wilde to actually challenging for victory.

Well, it was interesting, Pioneer, because there was I mean, it was on from the start, you know. I mean, I don't know what you like when you put the despeedos on, we'll get on the ten seed. But these guys were flying right from the very start. So they jump in the water, they go for the swim to start with. Just to give you a bit of an idea on it. These guys got through one point nine k's of swimming and they pop and a shade under twenty two minutes, so they were just flying. Got on the bike under two hours for ninety k's we're averaging over forty five. They got out into the run, Hayden had a bit of a gap and he took off and he was flying. He's running first couple of k's about three minutes to k So jeez, it's pretty handy to go five hundred meters, isn't it. But Hayden was he he was caught. He was caught with about two k's to go and that was all over to him. In the World Championship, he had a pretty good lead, but yeah, Yellow Gean minister surrealm and wins World Championship.

Incredible stuff. Was this expected? Did you expect Hayden whild to do so well as you say? He led on the run, only overtaken and finishes on the podium in second place. Was that what you expected from him pre race?

Yeah? Look, I did, I knew. I thought he'd get a podium. I really didn't think he'd get a podium. That didn't know which part it would be. But you know, I think he was definitely one of the pre race favorites. Carl Smith was or going to be up there when you got Coote Leo Begier from France who rounded out there podium. But at Agean's in middle distance racing has been going exceptionally well for a very long time, and you know, I think to him, we always knew he'd come at the end, and Hayden, unfortunately for him, blew up the wee bit. He slowed down quite a bit in his last couple of k's, whereas Yellow Geen the center keeps speeding up and in the end it was just too much for Hayden. But a second place is still an absolute legendary.

If it really oh absolutely, he'll look, there's absolutely no question about that. I just wonder how much he would have had to alter as training. We're so used to seeing them, Cameron, aren't we in the Olympic distances, the shorter distances, would he have had to do a lot different than the lead up to this or would the base have been there already for him on the base.

Would have been there? You know, Hayden is a young guy. He did a lot of multi sport. He did the Coast to coast and Brian ashbiebll tell you all about that sometimes be at the Coast to coast so much a couple of times. The young man did a lot of multi sport racing as a young man in Pocopae, So he's had a huge endurance based for a long time. And he often says in that shorter distance he can't quite show off his bike skills because he's very very good the longer it goes on a bike ride. So yeah, for him, a lot of those shorter distance guys that do a lot of middle distance training, sort of the seventy point three kind of training and then really sharpen up for those shorter distances. So so then to transfer across to be able to do this middle distance racing. It's not that much of a stretch for them.

All right. And in terms of the way the race played out in general terms, do most triathletes, most nine men women, are they able to hold on on the run or is the runoff in a place where there's quite a bit of positional change?

Yeah, there are execut right find I mean give you an an idea. The gentleman from the US it was in the lead at the end, at the start of the swim, ended up placing I think about thirty second, so you know, the rest of the day with people going past them unfortunately, But I mean the pace is so high in these races. Every year these young guys are seem to have a revolution in the sport and they get quicker and quicker and quicker. I mean, give a bit of context. You know, seventy point three is the miles, so put them in the case. But you know one point nine k swim, ninety k's in the by twenty one on the run, three hours e two to get that all done. I mean, it's this haziness, really, isn't it? The place these guys are going.

It's eye watering it's so right, Cam, it's eye watering how quick they are going. So when they're looking for improvements, like, do is there one of the three disciplines where it's where it's I guess I'm not going to say easier, but where you would to get to make your gains. I feel like a ninety k bike race because of the longer distance or ninety k on the bike, the longer distance you might be able to make your games. There. Is that accurate or not?

Yeah, yeah, you're right. I mean it's for most everyday triathletes when they go out and have a go, that's the Amati games. They do make games in that ninety k bike ride. But you know, I think you've got to be fit enough though, to be able to ride your bike and come off with good enough condition to be able to run whatever distance it is that you've got in that triathon for this one and a half marathon, but just the past these guys run, but just in general, I mean there's three thousand, eight hundred athletes from one hundred and nineteen countries on the course today, just in the men's race. Whole lot of women in the race yesterday. So on the race here in Topril three eight hundred people from one hundred and nineteen countries. I mean, topeul is absolutely heaving, flying and succeeding at the moment.

Yeah, love it, love it. And yet Taylor neb we should mention her winner and the women's race yesterday. Was she a popular winner?

Well, a very popular winner, and you'd be very brave to, you know, put five dollars against her because not think she would have won it. Some outstanding athletes around her are the likes of Cat Matthew's im and Simmons and others actually attentions out of Australia as well, But that's some outstanding athletes there. But Taylor nib has just been dominant for a long time. But this is her third win in the World Championships in a row, so you know, reigning defending and she got it for the third time. So it was expected. But at the same time, you know, you learn to not expect the expected at times in the sport. But Taylor definitely.

Delivered good stuff. And just to Finnish you alluded to it before the number of people who lined the course, I guess, particularly the run leg I think I heard Taylor Nib say yesterday that pretty much on every ten meters of the run course she was getting encouragement from the crowds. Big numbers tuning up, Cameron, Oh, incredible.

You know the population of topos about twenty seven thousand people from what they've been told were the locals, and they've had almost that again turned up for the weekends now of the twenty five thousand people tuning up as athletes and supporters. And even just today when Hayden Wild and Yellow Geens, Leo Vizier and the Judas Ground for Carlesmith, there was literally like two thousand people just standing on the waterfront just yelling their names and at the end the guys are like, we've never ever at any event ever had support like this, so it's really raised the bar. Coming to New Dylan for the championship.

Absolutely love it. Great to check Cam. Thanks for updating us, mate, great work over the weekend. We'll catch up again soon.

Thanks Funny all.

The best mate chairs Camp half of their iron Man commentator bringing us up to date. Yeah, so Hayden Wild coming home second behind the one of Yellow Hen's but yeah I saw some foota Julia and in typical Hayden wild fashion. I don't think he left anything out there when he crossed the line, just collapsing to the carpet. One point nine k swim, ninety k bike, twenty one point one k run, so basically a half marathon to finish, which is much longer than the Olympic distances that we used to seeing Hayden Wild competing all. I remember when I spoke to a month or so ago in the lead up to this, he said, look, we are we as his team, We're going to look at more of these longer distances over the next couple of years, and then revert back to the Olympic stuff ahead of Los Angeles in nineteen and rather in twenty twenty eight. In twenty twenty eight.

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