Amid a world-class field at the season-opening Singapore T100, Olympic silver medalist Hayden Wilde showed his class and resilience with a stunning debut win in the T100 Triathlon World Tour. Held under scorching conditions in Marina Bay on Sunday, April 6, Wilde came from 15th out of the swim to surge past the competition on the bike and dominate the run, eventually crossing the finish line in 3 hours, 18 minutes, and 11 seconds.

The Kiwi’s performance was as tactical as it was physical. “It’s really nice to win my first T100 race on my debut,” Wilde said. “It’s nice the hard work in winter went well… for this sort of race, it’s really hard to know where you are — it’s super hot, and once you go over the line, it’s hard to recover.”

Wilde clawed back time during the 80km bike leg, trading the lead with Germany’s Rico Bogen, before unleashing a devastating run. Bogen, who had led out of T2 with the fastest bike split (1:49:40), faded late and finished 10th. Wilde, on the other hand, ran comfortably and even had time to exchange high-fives with spectators before claiming the tape — and a crucial 35 Race To Qatar points, plus US$25,000 in prize money.

Paris 2024 bronze medalist Leo Bergere and reigning T100 World Tour champion Marten Van Riel rounded out the podium. Bergere, also making his T100 debut, produced a powerful run to finish second in 3:20:45. “It hurts a lot in these conditions,” Bergere admitted, “but to be honest, I enjoyed the race, the course, and the people cheering. That was a great atmosphere.”

The Frenchman had prepared for Singapore’s climate by training indoors in wintery France. “We put a heater and humidity machine in a room and did 1 to 1.5 hours a day for two weeks before flying here,” he shared.

Van Riel also timed his effort perfectly to finish third in 3:21:33. “In these hard conditions, you have to be patient,” said the Belgian. “So much can happen — it’s easy to overdo it. I didn’t expect to be on the podium. It’s an amazing start to the year.”

How the Race Unfolded

Frenchman Vincent Luis exploded out of the gates with a blistering swim, dragging a lead pack that included Bergere, Max Stapley, Tyler Mislawchuk, and Van Riel. Wilde emerged from the 2km swim in 15th, part of a chase group that included Bogen and Youri Keulen. By contrast, Sam Long found himself 5:37 behind Luis, who led out of the water.

On the bike, Bogen charged ahead solo, with Wilde steadily bridging the gap after making his move around the 30km mark. Margirier eventually bridged up too, but couldn’t maintain the pace. Wilde and Bogen reached T2 a minute ahead of the Frenchman, with a string of contenders — including Van Riel, Barnaby, and Bergere — about two minutes back.

Wilde wasted no time on the run, attacking early and building a 24-second lead by the 6km mark. Bogen’s legs gave out shortly after as Bergere surged past into second and Van Riel closed in for third. With 2km to go, the podium was locked in: Wilde in front, Bergere second, and Van Riel third.

The final result saw Wilde take the win with a 1:01:46 run split — the fastest of the day — while Bergere and Van Riel followed 2:35 and 3:22 behind, respectively. Keulen edged Barnaby for fourth place.

Singapore T100 Men’s Top 10:

1. Hayden Wilde – 3:18:11

2. Leo Bergere – 3:20:45

3. Marten Van Riel – 3:21:33

4. Youri Keulen – 3:22:05

5. Gregory Barnaby – 3:22:30

6. Mathis Margirier – 3:22:58

7. Antonio Benito Lopez – 3:24:34

8. Sam Long – 3:24:59

9. Mika Noodt – 3:25:18

10. Rico Bogen – 3:25:34

Over 7,000 participants joined the weekend’s Singapore T100 events, which included the 100km triathlon, Standard Duathlon, Long Duathlon, and The Music Run.

The T100 Triathlon World Tour next heads to San Francisco on May 31.