Normal service resumed or be careful what you wish for?
Hayden Wilde has spent the better part of two years calling for the closest of his short-course rivals – Alex Yee and Matthew Hauser – to join him on the T100 circuit for “some fun.” For Singapore on April 25, reigning WTCS champion Matthew Hauser has called his bluff.
Hauser’s acceptance was characteristically candid.
“They offered me a wildcard; I stupidly said yes,” he told Tri247.
Sick for a week, under-prepared by his own admission, and venturing into only his second-ever middle-distance race — his sole previous attempt ended with a bike mechanical DNF at Ironman 70.3 Geelong in 2025 — the Australian is under no illusions about what awaits.
“I am putting myself into unfamiliar territory, wanting to challenge myself and see what I have got in the middle distance.
“I’m looking forward to testing myself against some of the best middle-distance males, including Hayden. We’ve had some exciting and close battles in short-course triathlon, so I’m hoping to bring that same energy to T100.”
The plan, Hauser says, is simple. And finite.
“One race, one race only. Dip the toes in, keep the pencil sharp, and then onwards to the World Series (WTCS).”
Wilde’s response was equally revealing and typically Wilde.
When T100 announced Hauser’s entry on Instagram, the reigning T100 world champion simply commented: “📞 @matt_hauser cheers for picking up the phone 🤌🏼.”
In seven head-to-head meetings over the past two years the pair have split wins two apiece, with both also collecting a second place.
Singapore shapes as a tiebreaker of sorts, one fans will find hard to resist. Hauser is taking advantage of a calendar gap following the postponement of WTCS Abu Dhabi due to the Middle East war while Wilde will be determined to make up for his off-colour 3rd at 70.3 Geelong.
The supporting cast for Singapore is formidable. Half of the current PTO world rankings top 10 will be on the start line — World No.1 Wilde joined by Mika Noodt, Mathis Margirier, Jonas Schomburg and 2024 Singapore winner Youri Keulen. Add 2024 T100 series runner-up Kyle Smith and British Olympian Sam Dickinson (world No.11) and Hauser’s “slight detour” just got considerably more complicated.
Fun, Wilde calls it. Hauser will have to take his word for it.
