New Zealand pro Hayden Wilde could win his first World Triathlon title this coming weekend. We caught up with him pre-Paris Test Event to talk post-Olympics plans, racing by feel and what he’d love to steal from Vincent Luis\u2026 <\/p>
Nicknamed the Falcon due to his propensity \u2028to come from \u2028behind and pick off competitors, Hayden Wilde<\/a> has seen an equally meteoric rise in his career. <\/strong><\/p>\n His breakout performance was arguably his bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, but since then he\u2019s been battling it out with a new wave of talent in short-course competitions, starring in his fair share of sprint finishes with the likes of Alex Yee<\/strong><\/a> and L\u00e9o Bergere<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n We caught up with the New Zealander several days after his third-place finish at the Sunderland WTCS<\/strong><\/a> to take a peek into the future\u2026<\/p>\n 220<\/em>: How did you find Sunderland?<\/strong><\/p>\n Hayden Wilde:<\/strong> All things considered, I was actually really stoked how everything went. I knew coming into the race I was pretty fatigued, so I was just crossing the fingers and hoping that I could turn up to the race in some sort of shape. It replaced the Abu Dhabi race [points-wise, where Hayden finished 46th after a mechanical].<\/p>\n I ideally didn\u2019t want to race the mixed relay, but I could take one for the team. Half our team got ill [an investigation into the water quality at Roker beach is underway].<\/p>\n I was opting to take the day off as I was still feeling a little bit under the weather post-Hamburg, but it was actually good fun. Cold as ever. I\u2019ve never worn a thermal cap before! You get brain freeze for about three minutes and then you\u2019re alright.<\/p>\n 220<\/em>: How have you found the series\u2019 varying formats this year?<\/strong><\/p>\n HW:<\/strong> I think it shows the versatility of the athlete going for the title. You\u2019ve got to be good at sprint, you\u2019ve got to be good at the super sprint and mixed team relay format, but you\u2019ve also got to be really strong in the Olympic distance as well.<\/p>\n And with the new points system, with sprint being only 75%, Olympic being 100% and that supersprint being 85%, you\u2019ve also got to be smart with what races you want to peak for. I think the game is getting definitely harder, it\u2019s getting faster and it\u2019s showing the most all-around athlete will win the race these days.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> 220<\/em>: What\u2019s your favourite format to race?<\/strong><\/p>\n HW:<\/strong> When I\u2019m swimming well I do really enjoy the Olympic distance because I feel like that shows the versatility of an athlete. But I also really enjoy the super-sprint stuff, which seems to be working really well for me. You need a big engine, but you also need good speed as well, so I do like those races.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> 220<\/em>: What do you think will be the future of tri at the Olympics?<\/strong><\/p>\n HW:<\/strong> I think people\u2019s attention spans are becoming a lot shorter, which is fair enough. So looking at what it might move to, I think sprint distance would be potentially great for the sport. It\u2019s super-fast, it\u2019s over in an hour, and it keeps a lot more athletes in the race, as well.<\/p>\n Then the super-sprint format is pretty cool, too. There are definitely some things they can work on. Making that time between races a little shorter would be a lot nicer. I hope we can move forward and listen to the athlete\u2019s recommendations and see where we can find some middle ground and try and make a really nice format.<\/p>\n 220<\/em>: You\u2019ve dabbled in middle distance recently. Will you be doing more?<\/strong><\/p>\n HW:<\/strong> I do enjoy the longer stuff. I want to qualify for the 70.3 Worlds in Taupo next year. I was born in the town, so I\u2019d love to go home and race those after Paris [Olympics]. I\u2019m looking at a few races at the end of this year to qualify, whether it\u2019s in Portugal or whether it\u2019s in Melbourne, and I\u2019ll probably race Noosa Triathlon as well.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve never done it, but I\u2019ve always been intrigued to do it as it\u2019s a non-drafting Olympic distance. So, yeah, I think you\u2019ll be seeing me on the PTO circuit and the half-Ironman circuit in the next few years.<\/p>\n 220<\/em>: Aside from Alex Yee, who you\u2019ve had a few battles with this year, who do you think is your biggest competition?<\/strong><\/p>\n HW:<\/strong> There\u2019s some amazing athletes out there at the moment, but the big ones looking at me are probably L\u00e9o Bergere and Vasco Vila\u00e7a<\/strong><\/a>, Matty Hauser<\/strong><\/a>\u2026 there are so many guys that can win the race.<\/p>\n For me it\u2019s just about playing to my strengths, keeping the race hard and fast, and trying to get gaps where I can make them. But yeah, there\u2019s definitely a lot of guys knocking at the door.<\/p>\n Age: 26 | Home: Taupo, New Zealand<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> 220<\/em>: The Norwegians have been trying to adjust to short course again. Do you think they\u2019ll be up there in Paris?<\/strong><\/p>\n HW:<\/strong> I don\u2019t think you can ever take out a Norwegian, you know. They always put up for the big races and you\u2019re seeing Kristian [Blummenfelt<\/strong><\/a>] back in that top five now, and Casper Stornes is getting back to where he was as well.<\/p>\n Hopefully in a year\u2019s time Gustav [Iden<\/strong><\/a>] can get back there as well. I rate him as a human and, you know, he\u2019s been through a few things this year [Gustav\u2019s mother passed away after a two-year battle with cancer in May].<\/p>\n I love the way he races. It\u2019d be nice to get some extra firepower on that bike. It\u2019s been pretty hard without him.<\/p>\n I just love racing everyone that\u2019s world class. I don\u2019t want anyone to be missing out, I want to race the best of the best.<\/p>\n 220<\/em>: Some pros rely on sports science extensively. Are you big on data or are you more interested in feel<\/strong>?<\/p>\n HW:<\/strong> I think I\u2019m definitely a non-scientific athlete. I love the feel. I think the feel is more powerful than science in some aspects. Yeah, it\u2019s good to implement some science into training, but I also do believe that feel is such a powerful thing.<\/p>\n If you know the feeling of a certain pace or how you should be going, I think that\u2019s more powerful than looking at data. I just keep it sweet and simple, 90% of the time I forget my heart rate monitor. When we use science, it\u2019s kind of just backing up what we kind of already know.<\/p>\n 220<\/em>: If you could pinch certain abilities or strengths from other athletes, what would you choose and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n HW:<\/strong> I\u2019d take Vince\u2019s [Vincent Luis<\/strong><\/a>] swim any day of the week. How good would it be to line up to a start line and say, \u2018I\u2019m just going to lead a race out, no dramas.\u2019<\/p>\n Nike x SportsShoes Global Athlete Hayden Wilde\u00a0shares his tips for finishing a race strongly\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, even though I\u2019m on the front quite often on the bike and the run, I\u2019m always racing in my capabilities.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not at a power that I know I can\u2019t sustain or a running speed that I can\u2019t sustain. It\u2019s just being smart and looking at your splits of what you\u2019re doing in the race. If you\u2019re feeling good, sometimes just reserve it a\u00a0little bit and then bring it home, because you can lose a lot more\u00a0time at the end of a race.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you go out way too hard, conserve a little bit and maybe go one or two seconds slower than you normally think you should. You can finish a race real strong. So I definitely think being a touch on the conservative side is\u00a0the most important thing.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> With thanks to SportsShoes.com<\/a><\/strong> for arranging this interview.<\/p>\n\n
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Hayden Wilde\u2019s career highlights<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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How to finish strong\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n