Hayden Wilde

Hayden Wilde is a prime example of how supertri can kickstart an athlete’s career – and give them a great nickname. Hayden was already accomplished at swim-bike-run as a junior on the less well known off-road scene.

But he really came of age on the world triathlon stage racing supertri, where his amazing chase from behind mentality in Super League Malta earned him the moniker of the “Maltese Falcon”. Hayden can still be seen ‘flapping his wings’ every time he crosses a finish line.

Growing up in Whakatane, New Zealand, Hayden has always had a love for the outdoors. His childhood consisted of not only swimming, cycling and running, but adventuring, kayaking and multiple other pursuits. He suffered a terrible loss as a young man when his father passed away in tragic circumstances, but Hayden’s focus didn’t wane, and he made a push for greatness.

Hayden was already earning a reputation for himself on the triathlon scene in New Zealand as a teenager as he won the 2-day Coast to Coast event with a dominating performance as a 16-year-old. He then followed that up by showing his strength in swim-bike-run by grabbing two Xterra Under-19 World titles and the ITU Cross Tri World Championships at Under-23 level.

It was all of this that made supertri invite Hayden to compete, and it was the start of a switch to regular triathlon fuelled by a desire to compete at the Olympics. Hayden’s Super League impact proved his ability as he secured top ten finishes in all four Championship Series events in 2018/19, and followed that up with two third places in 2019. Though swimming was his weaker discipline, his aggressive bike strength – that has also caused him a few crashes – and a strong run always meant he was a force to be reckoned with.

Having proven to himself that he could race against the very best in the world, Hayden began to grow in strength on the WTS circuit with a bronze medal at the 2019 Tokyo Test Event. During a lockdown spent in New Zealand, Hayden also attempted to qualify to run the 5,000m on the track at the Tokyo Olympics. Though he met the qualification criteria he was not picked. However, he starred in the triathlon, producing a superb performance to collect a bronze medal.

He followed that up with a first ever supertri victory in the opening race of the 2021 Championship Series in London. Fourth, third and fourth place finishes in Munich, Jersey and Malibu respectively saw him finish second in the overall standings.

Wilde has pushed on again in 2022, taking his WTCS win in Leeds and starting a rivalry for the ages with Alex Yee, with the latter edging him out for Commonwealth Games gold in Birmingham.

Yet it was 2022 however that saw Wilde achieve his potential on the supertri stage. Wilde stormed to victory at the first event of the series in London, as well as taking victories in Malibu and Toulouse, and finished the season as the 2022 Championship Series winner as well as taking the Run Leaderboard. He has also stamped his authority on 2023 with two WTCS victories already.

In 2023, Hayden Wilde remained a top contender in triathlon, but narrowly missed out on major titles. He finished second in both the supertri Championship Series and WTCS. Despite victories at WTCS Yokohama and Hamburg, and podiums in Sunderland and Cagliari, a 10th-place finish at the WTCS Grand Final in Pontevedra left him 176 points short of the World Championship title to France's Dorian Coninx.

A month later, Frenchman Leo Bergere edged him out by four points for the supertri Series crown. Later in the season, Wilde shifted his focus to middle-distance racing, triumphing at the iconic Noosa Triathlon and IRONMAN 70.3 Melbourne, securing his spot at the 2024 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in his hometown of Taupo.

Wilde went into the Paris Olympics as a hot favourite to compete with Alex Yee for the gold medal. The New Zealander gapped Yee on the run but was overtaken in the final stages and had to settle for silver.

Hayden is  coached by Craig Kirkwood. His girlfriend is Belgian triathlete Hanne De Vet.