Lewisham’s Alex Yee wins World Triathlon Championship Series Cagliari

Alex Yee laid down a marker heading into this summer’s Olympic Games by outsprinting New Zealand rival Hayden Wilde to win World Triathlon Championship Series Cagliari, over the same distance the duo will battle it out over in Paris.

The Brit, from Lewisham, was more than 30 seconds off the lead after the first half of the 1,500m swim but recovered well to be among the leaders as the race headed on to the bike leg.

As the pace ramped up across the 38km, what started out as a 27-strong group out of the first transition dropped to just 18 as they headed towards the final part of the race.

Yee and Wilde quickly put themselves clear of the field on lap one of the 10km run. It soon became apparent that it was a straight fight between the pair for top spot on the podium in Italy.

They were neck and neck throughout the four laps as the duo continued to race clear of the competition, with neither looking like they would slow down. In the dying moments Yee kicked on and his Kiwi rival did not have an answer as the Brit snatched the gold medal for the third year in a row in Cagliari.

PICTURE: SAM MELLISH/TEAM ENGLAND