Silencing the critics

Gisborne’s Tayler Reid (right) congratulates Tauranga-based Hayden Wilde on the podium at the Tri Taranaki Festival in New Plymouth at the weekend. Wilde won the men’s sprint triathlon, which doubled as the North Island champs, with Reid second. Gisborne Boys’ High student Matthew Ney also had success at the festival, winning the Schools under-16 boys’ race. Picture by Scottie T/Tri Taranaki Festival Media

TRIATHLON

GISBORNE’S Tayler Reid has made a statement in his last triathlon of the year and silenced some doubters about his Olympic Games selection.

He finished second to rival Hayden Wilde in the North Island sprint triathlon at the Tri Taranaki Festival in New Plymouth in a neck -and-neck race decided by the run leg.

Reid exited the water first in the 750-metre swim leg, just in front of Wilde, and the pair battled back and forth on the 18.5-kilometre cycle to head into the final transition separated by only one second.

He would have been looking to build a bigger lead going into the 5km run against Wilde, who excels in the discipline.

Reid struggled to keep pace with Wilde in the run, his opponent consistently gained time at sub-three-minute-kilometre pace.

He went on to win in 55 minutes 30 seconds, with Reid second in 56.22.

Reid said he knew Wilde would be a minute faster than him over the run and adjusted his race strategy accordingly.

He and several athletes planned to build a buffer through the first two legs of the race and make Wilde work hard to battle back into contention in the run.

When Reid saw Wilde hot on his heels going into the first transition after the swim, he knew their plan had been foiled.

Reid said the plan was not helped by one of Reid’s racing partners getting sick before the race, so they weren’t able to work together the way they had wanted to.

With Wilde and Reid joined at the front by David Martin, they worked together on the bike to grow a sizeable gap between themselves and the chasers.

The final leg of the race was one-way traffic. Wilde surged ahead almost instantly and didn’t look back.

Reid said: “I raced a good race. I was very happy but it didn’t work out how I’d hoped.”

“I was really happy with the run. A 15:24 (time) after a really hard bike, it’s really promising.”

Wilde went into the race having won the national 5000m title at the New Zealand Track and Field Championships.

For Reid, the second place was vindication of sorts after disputes were raised about his Olympic team selection.

He was picked ahead of Sam Ward, whose world and Olympic qualifying ranking is higher than his.

Ward has disputed the decision, which reportedly come down to New Zealand contesting the team triathlon in which Reid has more experience.

The Gisborne triathlete is back home for a break after a long and hard season of racing and training.

Gisborne teenager Matthew Ney won the NZ Secondary Schools under-16 boys’ race as part of the Tri Taranaki Festival.

The Gisborne Boys’ High student won the 300m swim, 10km cycle and 3km run by over a minute.

A strong swim saw Ney exit the water in first and he built on the lead through the bike, navigating a tricky course with tight cornering and slick surfaces from rain.

He had built up a significant lead going into the run, but as his body started to tighten up towards the end of the race late surges from second and third place saw his lead start to evaporate. Ultimately, the lead Ney built earlier in the race proved enough and he crossed the finish line in first.

Ney later said it was the hardest he had ever raced.

The win was also the final and deciding race of the NZ Junior U16 triathalon series. Ney won the title by just two points.