Ninety-nine days ago, Hayden Wilde ran the fastest 10km triathlon has ever seen, clocking an astonishing 27:39. Just one day later, he collided with a truck, jeopardizing not only his season but potentially his entire career. Today, in London, he crossed the line first – an emotional return to the top of the podium and one of the most remarkable comebacks the sport has ever witnessed.
“This was the first swim, bike, run I’d done since Singapore,” Wilde said through emotion at the finish line. “Three months without doing it, so I was a little bit cautious,” he shared, but it was clear that caution didn’t hold him back.
With an incredibly deep field, the London T100 was anticipated to be a thriller – and it was. But all eyes were ultimately on Wilde, who not only defied the odds, but did so with control, composure, and a sense of pacing that made it look effortless.
Coming out of the water 56 seconds behind the leaders in 14th place – the section of the race he openly feared due to his shoulder injury – he worked his way methodically through the field. By 30km into the bike, Wilde was already in second, chasing down Germany’s Rico Bogen, who once again threw down the fastest bike split of the day (1:47:36).
“I wasn’t afraid of the race at all…I’m used to racing these guys,” Wilde said post-race. “But it was just more like…you have a big injury, you’re off for three months, and you have those negative thoughts in your mind where you’re like ‘Ah, can I actually get back to that level?’”
He answered that question with every step of the run. After reeling in Bogen a little before the halfway point, Wilde looked relaxed as he continued to build his lead. With 5km to go, he had over a minute on the field and looked more like a man on a training run than someone on the brink of the biggest win of his career.
At the finish, he collapsed into the arms of his girlfriend, Hanne De Vet, who had finished 13th in the women’s race earlier in the day, tears welling in his eyes. This was more than a win. This was validation.
“I couldn’t think of a bigger comeback in sport,” Jan Frodeno told Wilde live at the finish. “You must be over the moon.”
“Oh, absolutely,” Wilde replied.
Noodt’s Breakthrough and Geens’ Climb onto the Podium
Behind Wilde, the battle for the remaining podium spots was intense. Germany’s Mika Noodt delivered a long-overdue breakthrough, taking second after three previous third-place finishes (Ibiza 2024, San Francisco 2025, and Vancouver 2025).
In his post-race interview, Noodt reflected: “It was a brutal day from the start. I was already suffering in the swim…but I made the choice that I’m not here to come third again.” On the run into the finish chute in the ExCeL Centre, he let down his signature blond locks, clearly proud of his performance. He added that his dad always asks if he had fun – “I’m not sure if I’m going to say yes!” he joked, acknowledging just how deep he had to dig to secure the runner-up spot.
Belgium’s Jelle Geens rounded out the podium with another trademark 1:00:19 run, the fastest of the day, moving from seventh off the bike to third. “At one point I believed in second place,” he said post-race, but noted it was not his best day and he couldn’t quite make it happen.
Still, Geens’ result was enough to propel him to the lead in the overall T100 standings, a testament to his consistency across the season.
A Day That Transcends
At its best, sport gives us moments that go beyond the clock or the standings. And today in London, Hayden Wilde gave us exactly that – a comeback not just measured in minutes or seconds, but in resilience, belief, and emotion. It was the kind of win that transcends the sport.
Jelle Geens now leads the T100 series standings, followed by Mika Noodt in second, Rico Bogen in third, and Marten van Riel in fourth. Hayden Wilde sits fifth despite having only two races to his name (both wins), making him the biggest threat to climb to the top by the season’s end.
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