Hayden Wilde found a moment of consolation during the Triathlon Mixed Team Relay Final. Photo / Getty
Hayden Wilde found a moment of consolation during the Triathlon Mixed Team Relay Final. Photo / Getty
By Kris Shannon in Birmingham
The New Zealand team fell just short of the podium in the triathlon mixed relay today, but Hayden Wilde at least earned some satisfaction.
Two days after Wilde had been denied the chance to sprint for gold in the men's race at the Commonwealth Games,the 24-year-old was back at the scene of the crime to lead off the team event.
Wilde had New Zealand in second after his opening leg - trailing a rather familiar foe in England's Alex Yee - and the Kiwis remained in that position following Nicole van der Kaay and Tayler Reid's turns to complete their super-sprint triathlons.
Veteran Andrea Hansen was the fourth and final athlete away and, although England had essentially wrapped up gold, formed with Wales and Australia a three-way duel for the minor medals heading into the run.
But Hansen - part of the team who won bronze four years ago - couldn't keep touch on the 2km run, crossing the line 11 seconds behind Wales in second and eight seconds off Australia in third.
Wilde was proud of the way his teammates had executed their game plan, even if he was unable to add to the silver he claimed on the opening day of the Games.
That medal could still turn gold pending the outcome of an official protest lodged by Triathlon New Zealand (TNZ), after Wilde had been adjudged to have prematurely removed his helmet in the transition area, copping a crucial 10-second time penalty.
Replays were so inconclusive that the verdict could take up to a month to determine, with Yee in no danger of losing the first of two golds he won in Birmingham.
Wilde today reported that he had received no progress report on the protest, with TNZ working hard to make their case to World Triathlon. But any lingering pain over an incident he described at the time as a "stitch up" was consoled by one moment after today's bike leg.
"When I took my helmet off, the guy that gave me the penalty was there," Wilde said. "I gave him the death stare and looked right into his eyes, and made sure I did it properly, just for him.
"That was quite a funny little thing."
Hayden Wilde and Alex Yee (R) begin the bike leg during the Triathlon Mixed Team Relay Final. Photo / Getty
Wilde was sanguine both today and after the individual event, still believing he had done nothing wrong and was unfairly denied the chance to race off against Yee for gold, but content with silver all the same.
He spoke with the Englishman today - the pair are good friends off the course - and reiterated that the protest had been a team-driven decision.
"I had a conversation with him about it, and I said, 'Mate, this has absolutely nothing to do with you'," Wilde said. "The last thing I wanted to do was appeal, but the team thought it was the right thing to do.
"What happened with the appeal, it was nothing to do with the athlete at all; it was to do with an unfortunate mishap with the organisation here. So we're just trying to fix that up.
"The best possible result is a double gold, but I'm more than happy to settle for a silver. It just makes me hungry to come back in a few years' time to bring back gold."
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