New Zealand triathlete Hayden Wilde faced a confusing finish at the T100 race in Dubai last weekend.
Wilde, who was leading the race, accidentally cycled an extra lap, which caused him to drop back and finish in eighth place.
The mix-up happened because there were no clear signs or announcements to tell athletes when to stop cycling and start the running leg. Wilde, along with others, relied on the crowd who encouraged them to keep going. Later, during the run, officials told them to stop a lap early to make up for the mistake.
Wilde, 28, said it was frustrating but admitted he should have been more aware. “As athletes we know, so I take accountability for doing an extra lap,” he said.
He also pointed out that other sports like track running have lap counters and bell signals, but triathlons often don’t. He hopes future races will use better tracking to avoid similar problems. “I think from now on there will be a lap counter at races,” Wilde added.
A video shared online showed Wilde asking “what’s going on?” as he passed other runners, confused by the change.
Even though the result ended his winning streak, it didn’t hurt his place in the overall standings. He still has a chance to win the T100 world title in Doha next month. A top-four finish there will secure the championship.
Despite the trouble, Wilde is feeling strong. “The body is performing at such a late part of the season and I’m really happy with the position I’m in,” he said.
