“Nothing beats racing at home”

The Kiwi No.1 will jet in from Belgium determined to end New Zealand’s barren spell at World Cup New Plymouth

As Hayden Wilde oft articulates, nothing beats racing at home in front of friends and family. The problem for the Whakatane Falcon and a catalogue of big-name Kiwis before him has been turning rare home advantage into precious metal at World Cup New Plymouth. In the nine previous editions of the World Triathlon-sanctioned event, New Zealand has only once celebrated a gold medal performance when Bevan Docherty led home Kris Gemmell in a Kiwi one-two at the inaugural stop in 2005. Since then Sam Ward (twice), Ryan Sissons, Andrea Hansen and Nicole van der Kaay have taken NZ’s total medal tally to eight – a total of five second and two third places to go with Docherty’s golden highlight nearly two decades ago.

The reading is slightly better when you delve back into the archives to the five World Cups staged in Auckland. They returned 10 Kiwi medals including golds for Gemmell, Hamish Carter (twice) and Hansen.

Still, it’s hardly a medal rush, something Wilde is determined to change in his only race on home soil this year. The 25-yearold has squeezed the Taranaki Tri Festival showpiece into a busy early season schedule that will see him race World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS) stops in Abu Dhabi before New Plymouth and then Yokohama and Cagliari as he returns to Europe for the year’s biggest events.

Wilde‘s own results in New Plymouth chart his rise to triathlon’s top table: 29th, 15th and 4th placings respectively in each of the three previous editions from 2017-2019. He’s kicked on to the Super League title and went agonisingly close to WTCS glory last year as well so will be favoured to join Docherty in New Plymouth lore.

“I know a lot of internationals love coming to race in New Zealand, normally sets them up quite well to race New Plymouth, maybe go and do some racing in Australia and then head over to Yokohama. So we’re really crossing fingers that we’re going to have a good international field and we can really light it up,” Wilde told TQ from Belgium where he spent Christmas.

“Hopefully the form is there. The last time I raced in New Plymouth I got fourth [behind Aussie Luke Willian who is set to defend his 2019 title, German Justus Nieschlag and Ward] so I’ll definitely be looking to get on the podium for the first time. It’s a really tough course with the hills and I really enjoy it so I’m looking forward to trying to make it an exciting race.”

Some of the biggest names in the sport have made New Plymouth one of the favourite World Cup stops: reigning Olympic and 70.3 world champion Kristian Blummenfelt snared bronze on Ngamotu Beach in 2015, four-time world champion Tim Don enjoyed a top-10 in 2005 while Swiss superstar Daniela Ryf, a five time winner of both the Ironman and 70.3 world titles, was 4th in 2008. Aussie Emma Snowsill was 3rd in 2005 – three years before becoming Olympic champion in Beijing.

Another Olympic champion, American Gwen Jorgensen, has chosen Taranaki to continue her comeback to the world circuit after a brief flirtation with marathon running. The Rio 2016 gold medallist, also a two-time ITU world champion, will receive a warm welcome in New Plymouth where she was the 2016 women’s winner. – KG