Triathlon: Tauranga's Hayden Wilde helps New Zealand to gold at Canada's World Triathlon Series event

The victorious New Zealand mixed relay triathlon team. From left: Hayden Wilde, Nicole van der Kaay, Tayler Reid and Ainsley Thorpe. Photo / File

Hayden Wilde has anchored the New Zealand mixed relay team in a gold medal-winning performance at the World Triathlon Series event in Edmonton.

The Tauranga-based athlete ran the fourth and final leg on Monday (NZT) as the New Zealand team earned their first win of the series. The team also included Ainsley Thorpe, Tayler Reid and Nicole van der Kaay.

It capped off a superb weekend for Wilde, who placed fourth in the elite individual men's race on Sunday. His individual placing came at the end of an exciting run leg, where Wilde was one of only two runners who broke 15 minutes for the stage. Wilde finished 15 seconds behind race winner Jonathan Brownlee of Great Britain.

Wilde's coach, Tauranga's Craig Kirkwood, says it is another top performance by the Olympic hopeful.

Hayden Wilde in the bike leg at the ITU World Triathlon Elite men sprint distance race during the Hamburg Wasser World Triathlon in Germany earlier this month. Photo / Getty Images

"In the individual race he worked hard on the bike with six of seven others to reduce the gap to the breakaway," Kirkwood says.

"They came out of T2 only 14 seconds behind the lead group of seven. He then ran a near tactically perfect 5km to catch all but two of the front group. He's maturing as a racer at these events and is learning how and when to apply pressure."

Wilde continued that form into Monday to lead his team home in the relay with a seven-second margin on second-placed Great Britain and 16 seconds ahead of the United States who placed third.

Kirkwood, who was in Edmonton with Wilde, says the relay result is a special one.

"His decision to apply the pressure as soon as left transition was pivotal in his ability to gap the Australian who is a very good runner. The tactical nous he displayed was impressive. He knew his competitors' weakness and exploited them perfectly."

Wilde's next big race is the conclusion of the World Series in Switzerland at the end of next month.

World Triathlon Series Edmonton - Mixed team relay results:
1: New Zealand, 1.20.13.
2: Great Britain, 1.20.22.
3: United States, 1.20.29.
4: Australia, 1.20.32.
5: Italy, 1.21.36.