Triathlete Alex Yee won the first medal of the 2022 Commonwealth Games for England after enjoying a touching moment with a rival moments before crossing the finish line.
The men's triathlon was the first event of the Games to give out medals, and it was one Yee - competing on home soil - impressed in as he took a phenomenal victory. Only he and New Zealand rival Hayden Wilde could be seen as he rounded the final bend and headed towards the finish line.
But Wilde knew he had a 10-second time penalty and would never be able to create that gap to Yee in the final few metres of the race. So in a lovely display of sportsmanship, he held out his hand to the England athlete before yielding the lead and allowing him the chance to run to the line alone while cheered by delighted fans.
Yee was appreciative of the gesture as he fist-bumped Wilde before taking him up on the offer. He then went across to collect an England flag, which he draped around his shoulders before turning to the crowds and raising his arms aloft as he crossed the line.
Wilde had picked up the penalty earlier in the race, when he failed to correctly put back his cycle helmet when transitioning to the running segment. He ended up taking silver 13 seconds behind Yee, with Matthew Hauser of Australia completing the top three.
"I feel extremely grateful and proud to be a triathlete today," said Yee to BBC Sport, who won with a time of 50min 34sec. "It's an amazing day for triathlon and I feel super proud to be the winner of this event."
Yee had fallen behind Wilde earlier in the race, as the cycling specialist opened up a 16-second gap. But the Englishman was able to reel in his rival during the running section and the New Zealander knew he would not be able to get the better of Yee on this occasion.
"We’re great friends on and off the course so it’s really special to share moments like that with people and hopefully we’re a new rivalry in the making for the sport," the 24-year-old said when asked about the classy moment.
"When we spoke near the end we just said well done to each other and I said ‘I'm sorry you got a penalty, mate’ because everyone wants to see a sprint finish, everyone wants to see an exciting race.
"It would have been exciting. So it’s a shame. But it is what it is. There will be plenty more battles along the way."
