Things would have to go very crazy for Hayden Wilde not to win the T100 standings this year: that is quite a statement after only the first race of the season, but the New Zealander has just shown in Singapore that he is simply in a completely different class than all of his competitors.
Wilde is like an Eliud Kipchoge who won every marathon in his heyday. Like a Johan Cruijff who scored one world-class goal after another and like a Tadej Pogacar who proves to be simply unbeatable in the biggest road cycling tours. Like a Tiger Woods who strings together hole-in-ones and like a Luke Littler who manages to hit the Triple 20 with just about every dart: Wilde is simply an athlete who strikes fear into everyone who appears at the starting line next to him, and today showed once again why. At the T100 Singapore, he was incomparable, supreme, and dominant.
Yes, men like Samuel Dickinson, Mathis Margirier, Mika Noodt, Youri Keulen, and Menno Koolhaas had strong races, showing they are just as world-class, but it all happened at a fitting distance from Wilde and therefore became instantly less relevant. Today was about one man, and that was the man who has now laid the foundation for what will likely be a season with many victories.
During the 2-kilometer swim, many men stayed together, led first by Koolhaas and then by Dickinson and Henri Schoeman. Real differences did not arise – at least not between the fastest men – and Wilde therefore had a good connection immediately when the 80-kilometer bike ride began. In the first kilometers, it was Koolhaas who again took the lead, but within a few minutes, Wilde steamed forward, and although Koolhaas and debutant Matthew Hauser tried to hang on for a while, it soon became clear that this was not only unwise but, above all, unattainable.
Wilde paid little attention to it all, did not look back, and just kept pushing forward, meanwhile building a lead of several minutes. In the final phase of the bike segment, considerable differences still arose behind Wilde, and ultimately it was Dickinson who returned to T2 as the first pursuer at 2:13 minutes. Then followed, among others, Margirier (+2:21), Noodt (+3:15), Koolhaas (+5:02), Hauser (+5:50), and Keulen (+6:20). The differences showed how tough the bike course in Singapore was – with many bridges and therefore climbing work- and certainly the hot weather conditions.
That Margirier quickly passed Dickinson during the run, only to slow down with cramps, see Dickinson pass him again, and eventually fall off the podium, was all unimportant to Wilde. The New Zealander only saw his lead grow during the 18km run. Wilde went solo to the win and with it the confirmation that he is still – by far – the best athlete at the T100 distance.
Wilde did win the race in a time of 3:21:58, while Dickinson finished second in 3:28:19 and Noodt third in 3:29:11.
