When in Rome…
Hayden Wilde rarely misses a good PR opportunity, so it comes as little surprise that the Kiwi triathlon star hasn’t let a festive season break in Belgium get in the way of announcing his latest career move. Rather, he’s cheekily grasped his whereabouts and run with it.
That Wilde will contest this year’s T100 Triathlon World Tour is hardly breaking news but telling the world he’s coming for Marten Van Riel’s title, right outside the Belgian’s Antwerp home, that’s next level Wilde.
Take a look at the video, shot on a training ride in Loenhout, near where Wilde has spent Christmas with his Belgian partner Hanne De Vet, here.
“I’m absolutely stoked to announce that I’m going to be racing the T100 series for 2025 and hopefully challenge my mate Marten for his T100 title,” Wilde said.
“To celebrate me attempting to give Marten a good battle through the season, I’m just outside his house in Loenhout [Antwerp, Belgium]. My partner’s from Belgium and we’re having Christmas in Belgium and I guess the mind games start now…have a good Christmas Marten and see you next season.”
When in Rome, indeed.
To add context, Wilde was announced overnight as one of eight “Hot Shots” – previously known as ‘wildcards’ – set to race alongside contracted athletes in the minimum seven event T100 series in 2025, beginning in Singapore in April.
The Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallist and Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist is joined by the French duo of Léo Bergère and Vincent Luis, Americans Morgan Pearson and Taylor Spivey, British Olympians Kate Waugh and Jess Learmonth, plus 22-year old up-and-comer Laura Madsen of Denmark, who had a breakthrough season of wins in Ironman 70.3 and Challenge events during 2024.
The eight athletes have won eight Olympic medals and 12 elite level World Triathlon Championship medals between them.
The ‘Hot Shots’ join contracted 2025 stars Taylor Knibb (USA), Ashleigh Gentle (AUS), Julie Derron (SUI), Flora Duffy (BER), Lucy Byram (GBR), India Lee (GBR), Imogen Simmonds (SUI), Paula Findlay (CAN), Van Riel (BEL), Kyle Smith (NZL), Rico Bogen (GER), Sam Long (USA) Mathis Margirier (FRA), Pieter Heemeryck (BEL), Youri Keulen (NED) and Fred Funk (GER).
Smith finished second overall behind Van Riel in the last year’s men’s championship. The prospect of two Kiwi mates mixing it with the world’s best mid distance exponents in 2025 is mouth-watering, as evidenced by Wilde’s 2nd and Smith’s gritty 4th at the recent Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Taupo.
The Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) launched the T100 Triathlon World Tour last year, which featured the world’s top 20 female and top 20 male triathletes compete head-to-head in a series of iconic locations – including Singapore, San Francisco, London, Ibiza, Lake Las Vegas before the finale in Dubai last month.
Seven stops for 2025 have already been announced, including a return to Singapore on April 5-6 before a new trip to France for the first French Riviera T100 Triathlon. Thereafter, the circuit will stop in San Francisco, London, Ibiza, Las Vegas and Dubai with the remaining 2025 races, as well as remainder of the 2025 T100 contracted athletes, to be announced soon.
