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Alex Yee admitted it is an “amazing feeling” to finish 2024 as both the Olympic and world triathlon champion.
The 26-year-old Briton followed up his success in the Paris Games this summer by winning the World Championship crown on Sunday after a third-placed finish in Torremolinos was enough to clinch top spot.
It was Yee’s first world title after picking up silver in 2022 and bronze in 2021 and he remains unbeaten during a fairy tale year.
“It’s a funny one because I think I knew I had it within me, but to actually do it is a whole other ball game,” he told the PA news agency.
“To hold your nerve in those times where it matters and deliver performances consistently throughout the year has always been something which I’ve found challenging.
“I probably wouldn’t have believed you that I’d have achieved it, but it’s such an amazing feeling to be able to do it.”
Going into Sunday’s race on the south coast of Spain, Yee needed to finish sixth or higher to claim a maiden World Championship.
The Briton was down in 35th place after the swim and 11th following the bike leg but powered through the field during the 10 kilometre run to take the overall title, with New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde – who was beaten to Olympic gold this summer by Yee following a dramatic finish – winning the race ahead of France’s Leo Bergere.
Having fallen just short of being crowned champion in previous years, Yee admits this success feels all the more sweeter.
He said: “Going into it, I’d had a chat with a few people and I think it was important for me to acknowledge that those emotions were going to crop up, but acknowledge that they were there and kind of allow them to happen.
“But also put them to the back of my mind and focus on what I was doing and being as straightforward as I could, and that was swimming, cycling and running as best I could.
“It has definitely now I’ve crossed the finish line made that feeling of becoming world champion that bit sweeter, because it was something which has evaded me for so long.
“It has been something that I’ve had to work so hard towards to be able to call myself world champion and be worthy of that title. It’s really special and I’m over the moon with it.”
The World Championship title caps off an extraordinary year for Yee, who also won Olympic bronze in the mixed relay in the days after his gold triumph.
Reflecting on his remarkable Olympic victory, where he overhauled Wilde’s 14-second lead to take the title, Yee said: “I think the first question I got asked after the race itself was ‘how have you done that then?’ I still don’t think I could tell you myself!
“It was a bit of Olympic magic. It was such a special moment to be able to have that and share that with friends and family and so many people watching back home who were excited about what we were doing.
“For them to be calling it their moment of the Games it’s pretty insane considering I remember looking back at 2012 and 2016 at the likes of Usain Bolt, Mo Farah and big names like that come to mind for those kind of moments.
“I think as elite athletes we’re always onto the next thing and constantly pushing. Now I’ve almost fully finished, with yesterday being the last big race of the year, I think it’s probably now starting to sink in what’s happened.
“That’s really special and pretty mad to look back on.”
