Wilde Comeback Takes The Plaudits At London T100 Triathlon

London, UK: New Zealander Hayden Wilde completed a scarcely believable return to elite racing to not only compete in but win the London T100 Triathlon. 

Just 98 days after being hit by a truck in Japan at the start of May, puncturing his lung, breaking six ribs and needing surgery on his left scapula, the man nicknamed ‘The Falcon’ flew past competition to take the tape in front of a roaring crowd at London’s Excel. 

Talking after Wilde crossed the line, T100 TV commentator Jan Frodeno said: “I can’t think of a bigger comeback in sports. He’s a superfreak!”

Key Quotes

Winner Hayden Wilde:

“You’re always a little bit afraid going into the swim. Which is why I went to the left hand side to give myself a little space and leeway. I wanted to be a bit more cautious and for me that was a good move.”

“I wasn’t afraid of the race at all. I’m used to racing these guys. I know what the level is. I knew what my level was going into it. You have a big injury, you have three months off and you do have some negative thoughts in your mind. That was the first swim bike I’ve had since Singapore. Three months without doing that, you’re always a big cautious.”

“I didn’t even realise I had two plates in my back after three weeks. My team has been incredible. Obviously it wasn’t just me doing it. But you have to put in the discipline.” 

“The next T100 is in Frejus. I’ll be looking to having an easier week next week. It’s been a big three months. I’m going to chill out now as it’s also been a big mental effort as well as physical one.”

Second placed Mika Noodt: 

“I started the season with a P9 and now I’ve had two second places so I’m on the way up. Honestly, there’s so much more in the background going on in order to perform that consistently. I do put a lot of pressure on myself to perform well. I don’t accept the excuse of having a bad day. There are always small mistakes in the background which lead to bad days.” 

Third placed Jelle Geens, who is now the T100 Race To Qatar series leader: 

“I think my day started with a very good swim. I’m not known for being a strong swimmer, but I found myself in the front pack. So I think that was the highlight of the day. I struggled to find my rhythm on the bike and I ran well, but it took a lot out of me. It wasn’t easy.”

How the race unfolded:

The men’s 2km swim in Royal Victoria Dock saw a densely packed group led by Leo Bergere (FRA) and including Menno Koolhaas (NED), San Francisco T100 winner Rico Bogen (GER), Vancouver T100 winner Jelle Geens (BEL) and Mika Noodt (GER). 

Bergere led through the 1km Aussie exit but all eyes were on Olympic silver medallist and Singapore T100 winner Hayden Wilde, just 24 seconds back at the half-way mark after toeing the start line for the first time since a devastating bike crash that left him with a shattered shoulder blade, 6 broken ribs and a punctured lung.

The Kiwi star’s deficit was up to 57 seconds at the conclusion of the swim as Bergere led from the water in 25:13. Geens was first onto the bike, but was overhauled quickly by Bogen with Noodt, Bergere and Koolhaas close behind and pulling away from the rest.

With 15km under the wheels that leading quintet – headed by Bogen – held around 20 seconds to Gregory Banaby (ITA), but Wilde was already 6 places to the better and into 8th place, just 45 seconds from the race lead.

By 30km the race was seemingly shaping up to Bogen’s design, the German surging clear while Noodt led the charge. But Wilde – up 11 places – was closing fast.

With 15km to go, Bogen was up to a 45-second lead over Wilde, now in 2nd and himself holding 15 seconds to Noodt. That trio were well clear of the rest of the field, Mathis Margirier (FRA) best of the rest 1:20 behind Noodt.

As the kilometres clicked by, Bogen neared T2 with a lead in excess of 1 minute to Noodt and Wilde. The German was out of sight of his opponents as he got onto the 18km run but Wilde looked smooth and fast as the Kiwi began his hunt.

With 6km covered, Wilde had eased up on Bogen’s shoulder, using the larger German athlete to shield himself from the headwind along the waterfront before making the overtake on the hill up into Excel and past the cheering crowds. Behind, Noodt was holding steady in 3rd around 1 minute back with Geens moving up the order and picking up the pace.

As Wilde ticked off the first 10km with a 1 minute lead, Noodt caught and passed Bogen while Geens continued to make up time – the fastest runner on course.

On the final lap, Noodt remained 1 minute behind the Kiwi with Geens another minute behind, resigned to the podium’s bottom step. But there was no stopping Wilde – 98 days after his terrifying accident, the Kiwi was back to his winning ways, crossing the finish line full of emotion in 3:17:37. With victory in London, Wilde is 5th in the T100 Race To Qatar standings but from just 2 races and could still clinch the title this year.

An ecstatic Noodt claimed 2nd, the German’s 3rd podium of the year. This result also puts him 2nd in the T100 Race To Qatar standings.

Geens rounded out the podium with the day’s fastest run – enough to top the T100 Race To Qatar standings. 

Behind, Koolhaas got the better of Bogen to take 4th with Bogen rounding out the top-5.

-ends- 

Notes To Editors 

How the 2025 T100 Triathlon World Tour works:

• Athletes score 35 points for first place to 1 pt for 20th place at each of the nine races, with increased points for 2nd (up from 28 to 29 points); 3rd (up from 25 to 26); and 4th (up from 22 to 23), to encourage more competitive racing
• The Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship Final has increased points to up the ante (55 pts down to 4 pts) as well as a similar upweight of points from 2nd (now 46 points from 45) to 13th position.
• Each athlete’s best four T100 race scores plus the Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship Final will count towards the women’s and men’s T100 World Championship titles
• $250,000 USD prize fund at each T100, totalling $2,250,000 across the nine races (1st place – $25,000k; 2nd – $17,000; 3rd – $13,000 at each race)
• The series winners following the Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship Final will be crowned T100 Triathlon World Champion and collect $200,000 USD from an additional total prize pool of $2,940,000
• The T100 Contenders Rankings will pay 1st to 40th place from a total prize pool of $560,000 (1st place – $16,000; 2nd place – $15,000; 3rd place – $14,000 down to 40th place – $3,000)
• Between the athlete contracts, T100 race prize fund, T100 Triathlon World Tour pool and the T100 Contenders Rankings, the series provides more than $8,000,000 in athlete compensation, and is distributed in a way that not only rewards the winners, but also recognises the significant achievement of racing at this level and a pathway that feeds into the T100 series

For Further Information: 

Anthony Scammell E: [email protected] 

The PTO is a sports body that is co-owned by its professional athletes, seeking to elevate and grow the sport of triathlon and take it to the next level. Its T100 Triathlon World Tour was introduced in January 2024 and is designated by World Triathlon as the ‘official World Championship for long distance triathlon’, which is part of a 12-year strategic partnership with the sport’s international governing body. The T100 Triathlon World Tour is a season-long schedule of World Championship level races competed over 100km (2km swim, 80km bike and 18km run), where the world’s best triathletes go head-to-head in iconic locations on a global broadcast showing the races live around the world in 195+ territories, courtesy of the PTO’s partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery as well as a range of other international, regional and local broadcasters.  So far in 2025 these have included: Singapore (5-6 April), San Francisco (31 May-1 June), Vancouver (13-15 June) and now London (9-10 August). The first Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship Final will take place on 12-13 December.  T100 weekends are ‘festivals of multisport’ and feature a range of opportunities for amateur athletes of all levels to get involved. From experienced amateurs tackling the 100km distance to first-time swim, bike and run participants taking on single discipline, untimed events. For more information visit www.t100triathlon.com