World Triathlon: Olympic medallist Wilde relishes chance to compete in Abu Dhabi

PHOTO

UAE - World No.3 Hayden Wilde is relishing the opportunity of competing in this weekend’s World Triathlon Championship Series race in Abu Dhabi as he sets his sights on a podium finish.

The 25-year-old will be among the elite athletes that will be competing in the season-opening race at Yas Marina Circuit, just four months after finishing sixth in the World Triathlon Championship Finals in November.

With a strong field that features a number of top-10 athletes including World No.1 Leo Bergere, Wilde is wary he has to be at the top of his game to begin on a winning note but would be pleased with podium finish in Abu Dhabi.

Speaking exclusively to Khaleej Times, the Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist said: “It’s really difficult to know where I am personally because it feels like we just finished the season in November and now we’re back in March. We normally start our season in May so it’s nearly three months early but it’s going to be interesting to see where everyone is at.

“Looking specifically at the race, this will be my fourth time racing in Abu Dhabi and I've had some pretty bad luck here so I'm hoping that I can change that and finally get on the podium here.”

The race will take place at the iconic Yas Marina Circuit, the home of the Abu Dhabi Formula One, and Wilde is looking forward to challenging himself on what he describes as a ‘super quick course’.

He said: “Yas Marina Circuit is a super quick course and it’s going to be an exciting one and looking forward to really hammering the courses. It's just so much grip on that F1 track and you can really hit the corners quite hard even on a road bike.”

The Abu Dhabi race also marks the start of an important year for Wilde which will serve as important preparation for next year’s Olympic Games in Paris.

“This year is more important than 2024 because I know I have to stay fit and also don’t want to injure myself just before the Olympics," he said.

"Abu Dhabi will be a good opportunity to begin the process of getting quick times so that when I go home, I can reassess what went well and what didn’t go well which will help me on what I need to work on leading into every race that I will compete in.”