Tokyo 2020 - Kristian Blummenfelt powers to Olympic gold in men’s triathlon, GB's Alex Yee wins silver in epic race
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Updated 26/07/2021 at 04:33 GMT
Kristian Blummenfelt is the men’s triathlon Olympic champion after an epic and gruelling race at Tokyo 2020. Team GB athlete and Games newcomer Alex Yee was on track for a superb win before Norway's Blummenfelt put his foot to the floor in the final lap. While there was euphoria for Yee, Jonny Brownlee finished back in fifth.
‘The best 100 metres of his life!’ - Kristian Blummenfelt takes triathlon gold in Japan
Kristian Blummenfelt beat Alex Yee by eleven seconds to win the men’s triathlon.
Team GB and Olympic debutant Yee had led heading into the final stretch after a gruelling swim and bike race, but 27-year-old Blummenfelt was the first to cross the line after a perfectly timed attack in the last lap.
Great Britain had high hopes for Jonny Brownlee, but it was his team-mate Yee who shone in Tokyo alongside Blummenfelt.
It was a haphazard start to the event after a motor boat prevented several contestants from diving into the water at the start line.
The race had to be halted after 13 seconds and began again, with many of the 56 contestants unsure if it was safe to enter the water due to the rogue boat.
Yee and Blummenfelt were part of a massive group of almost 40 athletes who came off the 40km bike leg.
Team GB athlete Yee was leading heading into the final stretch after positioning himself perfectly for his strongest discipline.
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Yee, 23, was the fastest runner among the top contenders and led the pack of around seven rivals in the third lap by about 40 seconds.
Norway’s Blummenfelt was the first to make a move in the final lap and began to set an incredible pace.
While Yee tried to fight back, Blummenfelt put the foot down and had his head in his hands as he crossed the line.
The Norwegian collapsed over the line as Yee took silver in his first appearance at an Olympic Games just eleven seconds behind the new Olympic champion.
New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde came in third to win bronze, while medal hopeful and Yee’s GB team-mate Brownlee finished in fifth place a huge 49 seconds behind Blummenfelt.
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Norway's Kristian Blummenfelt (C) and Team GB's Alex Yee compete in the men's individual triathlon competition during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
Image credit: Getty Images
The Tokyo 2020 champion was carted off in a wheelchair after his mammoth effort to steal the gold medal.
YEE: I'M JUST SOME ORDINARY KID!
Not many tipped Yee as a potential medallist, but the Londoner was in shock when interviewed after the race.
"It’s a bit bizarre that I’m doing this,” Yee told Eurosport.
"I’m just some ordinary kid. It feels really bizarre. I hope I can serve inspiration to anyone to show this is possible and believe in yourself. It was super tough. The conditions up until the running phase were not too bad at all.
"The way the race panned out worked in my favour so I had a little bit of luck on my side. You’ve got to take those opportunities and I tried to bring the race to me in the run. It was really hot. I had a good strategy.”
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