Hayden Wilde is ready to take on rival Alex Yee in the finals of the World Triathlon Championships in Abu Dhabi.

Hayden Wilde compared his fight with Alex Yee at the World Triathlon Championships final in Abu Dhabi to the struggles of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen for the F1 title.

The New Zealander announced his intentions by skipping two races to reach the capital four weeks ago to prepare for the November 23-26 event on Yas Island.

The race will feature the 2020 Olympic medal winners. Wilde overtook Blummenfelt and Lee to find himself #1 in the world rankings, with Yee not far from fourth.

French European champion Leo Berger came second and Belgium’s Geely Jeans, who won the gold medal in the Abu Dhabi 2021 race, came third.

“It’s going to be a big competition between me and Alex Yee,” Wilde said at the World Finals launch event at the Abu Dhabi Sports Council headquarters on Tuesday.

“It’s like the race between Hamilton and Verstappen and I’m really looking forward to it. Whoever crosses the line will win the world champion title. We had a great rivalry so getting together and finishing in Abu Dhabi is great. I hope we can put on an exciting show.”

Wilde had to settle for bronze behind Norwegian Christian Blumenfelt and Lee at the Tokyo Olympics. Lee also beat Wilde for the gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in July. The Englishman praised the victory and called it his “greatest achievement”, even though he had already won the silver medal in Tokyo.

Wilde said: “Adding a world title to our roster is very important for the athletes.

“Winning an Olympic medal is what we strive for, but a world title is not just about one race, it is about consistency. Joining the likes of Vincent Lewis is a huge achievement and it would be great to do that here.”

Wilde said a lot of people told him it was a risky way to do it before a high-stakes race. “It’s a good risk because the races I missed were in Europe and Bermuda, which requires a lot of travel,” he added.

“The plans were made and it was due to come four weeks before the race in Abu Dhabi and to maximize the advantage by adapting to the weather and environment.

“I have raced with many of these athletes over the past few years and am aware of the challenges. On top of that, the conditions, the heat, the humidity, and a surface that is more compact and requires more energy. That’s why I came early to experience all of this together.”

In the women’s event, Tokyo gold medalist Flora Duffy will face current world number 1 Georgia Taylor Brown – the woman who took the silver in Japan.

Bermuda also won the gold medal in Abu Dhabi last year and will be looking to add to her long list of accomplishments that includes several world titles and Commonwealth gold.

Great Britain will bring a strong, exemplary team to Abu Dhabi, led by Taylor Brown, as well as Beth Potter (fourth) and Sophie Caldwell (seventh).

The United States will also be able to count three of the world’s top ten players, with Taylor Spivey, fifth, as well as Taylor Kneipp and Kirsten Kasper, ninth and tenth, respectively.

Aref Hamad Al Awani, Secretary General of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, said the capital is delighted to host the World Triathlon Championship finals for the first time.

“Since 2015, we have hosted a series of international triathlon tournaments and run community races for all ages and abilities, which has led to a significant growth in interest in the sport of triathlon,” he said.

Now, in 2022, we are ready to host the finals of the World Triathlon Championships, with 130 elite athletes participating. »

Mohammed Abdullah Al Zaabi, CEO of Miral Group, added: “We are delighted to host the finals of the World Triathlon Championships, underlining our commitment to positioning Yas Island as a leading global entertainment destination.”

For more information, please visit abudhabi.triathlon.org.