Becoming a professional sportsman was never part of the plan Hayden Wilde made for himself. The Olympic silver medallist took home the gold this week at the World Triathlon Championship Series in Abu Dhabi, and is currently the world’s number one male triathlete.
But if it wasn’t for a teacher’s advice at school when he was a teenager, his illustrious sporting career may never have happened.
“I was really close to my two older brothers – we played rugby, cricket, football and hockey, and we’d always be play-fighting and getting into wrestling matches,” recalls Hayden, 27, who grew up in the Bay of Plenty. “Running, biking and cycling wasn’t really in the mix. My dad died when I was eight, so I grew up doing pretty much everything my brothers did.”
But at secondary school in Whakatāne, Hayden took up outdoor education. The class introduced him to orienteering, adventure racing and multisports, including long-distance running.
“My teacher, who was also my friend’s mum, told me I raced well and was pretty fast. She asked if I’d consider competing. I thought, ‘Why not?’ So I did a duathlon – a bike ride and a run, which went pretty well. Then it just grew from there.”
With the support of his mum Sarah, stepdad James, and brothers Ben, 30, and Hamish, 28, Hayden went from strength to strength. He became the youngest winner of the two-day Coast to Coast aged 16. The event is 243km of running, cycling and kayaking, which he completed in 12 hours 18 minutes.
He became a professional triathlete at 19, won bronze in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics – New Zealand’s first triathlon medal in 13 years – and has earned himself the nickname “The Maltese Falcon” for his extraordinary ability to swoop in at the finish line.
He describes his family as his biggest supporters and was delighted they were all in Paris to see him on the Olympic podium.
“They all love it – I have pre-race chats with my brothers a lot,” he says. “Mum was stoked I’d found my own passion as I’d always followed my brothers when we were kids. As long as I enjoyed it, she was my biggest cheerleader.”
But Hayden’s route to success wasn’t easy.
“I had a part-time job as a landscaper to pay for training. That meant that for three years, I’d get up at 5am, go swimming with the squad, run home for breakfast, work for about six hours, then come home and do more training,” he recalls. “Once I didn’t have to be on my feet all day at work, my results started getting a lot better!”
Although he visits New Zealand as often as possible, Hayden now lives in Andorra. He’s in the mountainous Pyrenees, two hours from the Spanish city of Barcelona. He trains there alongside multiple athletes, including Kiwi elite cyclists Kimberly Cadzow, George Bennett and Hayden’s girlfriend of five years, Belgian triathlete Hanne De Vet, 26.
Competition there is fierce and for Hayden, it’s never more so than when he’s training with Hanne.
“We run separately, but Hanne comes from a strong swimming background. That can become quite a drag race, which is great fun!” he laughs. “The Pyrenees is great for bike riding and she’s a lot lighter than me, so we can ride hills together. But we’re very competitive, for sure! We’re both hoping to go to the Olympics in LA in 2028, so it’s good we push each other.”
Having a partner who understands the rigours of intense training is pivotal to the pair’s relationship.
“It’s important to be with someone who can push me and keep me grounded – and she’s not afraid to give it back when I come home tired and cranky from training!” he says of Hanne, who is also training to be a physiotherapist.
“We are very similar personalities and we do argue – I think arguing is healthier in a relationship than keeping everything bottled up until it all comes out at once. And I accept that my role is to be wrong 90 percent of the time! But we are very supportive of each other and we enjoy each other’s company.”
And while he knows he can’t race forever, he’s making the most of it while he can.
“I know other opportunities will always be there, but my athletic ability won’t be,” he reflects. “As much as I love what I do, I know it will have to end one day.
“Learning landscaping was great as it helped me understand what life is like outside sport, which is something a lot of athletes struggle with. But right now, I’m pretty happy. I think I’m pretty lucky, really.”
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