Alex Yee bags his first ever Olympic medal as 23-year-old GB star takes silver in men’s triathlon… with Norway’s Kristian Blummenfelt producing heroic effort for gold
- There was a medal to celebrate in the men’s triathlon as Alex Yee took silver
- Jonathan Brownlee came fifth in the blazing Tokyo heat for a chaotic race
- Norway’s Kristian Blummenfelt took gold with a stunning display on Monday
- The men’s triathlon got off to a chaotic start as a boat got in the way of athletes
Team GB‘s Alex Yee produced a stunning display in the men’s triathlon to claim the silver medal.
Norway’s Kristian Blummenfelt grimaced before hitting the final straight knowing he couldn’t be caught for gold but credit to Yee, 23, for claiming his first ever Olympic title in the blazing Tokyo heat.
Yee, who hails from Lewisham, looked disappointed as he crossed the line and it shows how far he has come. Fellow Brit Jonathan Brownlee finished fifth, 0.49 seconds off Blummenfelt’s pace.
Alex Yee (left) bagged a silver medal on his Olympic debut in an impressive men’s triathlon
The event was won by Norway’s Kristian Blummenfelt as athletes faded in the blazing heat
Yee told BBC: ‘It’s a bit bizarre really. I’m just a normal guy from south east London and dreams really do come true.
‘It’s been a tough preparation phase for these Games. In training I think I went harder than I did in this race. To come away with second was the best result I could have got on the day.’
He added: ‘My mum always says it takes a village to build a person and I think it’s taken all of GB today. I had to dig into my soul, found a little something and it was enough to get silver. I’m over the moon with that.’
Blummenfelt could barely stand at the end after pulling away from the pack to claim gold
Yee (middle) consistently kept among the leaders and the 23-year-old impressed on debut
Brownlee, who came fifth, said: ‘That was really, really tough. I gave it everything but I think that’s a reflection of where I’m at. I couldn’t give any more.
‘I always tell myself after a home Olympic Games in 2012 and all that pressure that I can do anything.
‘It wasn’t a fairytale ending to finish with a gold medal but all I could have done in the last 18 months was train as hard as I could and make all those sacrifices. We still have another chance on Saturday with the team (event).’
The men’s Olympic triathlon began in shambolic circumstances as a boat jerked across the water just as some athletes had dived in to start the race.
Half the field dived in while the others were blocked off by a boat, leading to some frantic action from associated craft to get the message over to the initially unaware swimmers.
Fellow Brit Jonathan Brownlee finished fifth but had no regrets after a gruelling Monday race
The men’s triathlon began in chaotic circumstances after a boat caused a false start
Half the field dived in while the others were blocked off by a boat carrying camera crew
Fifty-six men lined up on a pontoon in Tokyo Bay for the 06.30 local start but as the starter sent them away for the opening 1,500 metre swim leg, around a third found their way blocked by a camera boat.
With those left on the pontoon stranded, a mini-flotilla of boats and jet skis flew into action to head off the group, with around half of them still ploughing on regardless despite the alert horn sounding repeatedly.
Eventually two jet skis combined to stop the leaders, who returned slowly to the start having undergone a more vigorous 200 metre warm up than they had expected.
Advertisement