Triathlon
Inspired by London 2012, Alex Yee has had a rapid rise from fan to Olympian.
Nine years ago he watched as the Brownlee brothers claimed gold and bronze in the men's triathlon.
Now Yee has won the silver medal at Tokyo 2020 for Team GB, with two-time Olympic medallist Jonny Brownlee finishing in fifth.
It was his first place at the 2021 World Triathlon Championship Series in Leeds that would ignite Olympic hopes for Yee, who decimated the field in the final leg of the swim - cycle - run event.
After being confirmed as part of the Team GB squad heading out to Tokyo, Yee expressed his delight over his selection.
“I know it’s a cliché, but I’m over the moon," he told British Triathlon.
“I was massively inspired after watching London 2012 in my home city, and now to be selected to represent Team GB after the delay, covid and the challenges everyone has been through, I am delighted."
Alex Yee’s formidable triathlon form in 2021
Yee burst onto the scene in 2018 when he claimed the British 10,000m title as a 20-year-old.
From there, he would go on to place 14th in the European Championships, facing some of the best in the world.
In 2019, Yee debuted at the World Triathlon Series, and an incredible performance saw him take silver in Abu Dhabi.
His performances kept getting better - The Briton claimed a win at the Cape Town Discovery Triathlon World Cup.
That same year he was part of the mixed relay teams that won gold in Nottingham, before going onto Tokyo and winning silver.
Though the triathlon requires the athlete to master three disciplines – swimming, cycling, and running – Yee particularly excels in the running stage, and has proven to finish strong.
Back in 2018 he set a PB of 27:51:94, running the 10,000m sub-28 minutes and demonstrating his impressive dominance in long distance running.
From Leeds to Tokyo
In the lead-up to the Games in Tokyo, Yee spoke of how his attitude and approach had changed.
“I feel a lot more in tune with my body now than I did in 2018, so I feel I can access that [calm and controlled] feeling, that emotion, that state a lot more easily," Yee shared when his Team GB selection was confirmed.
“I feel like I know when to be present, when to settle in and let my mind rest a little bit. I think that’s extremely important in triathlon.”
From seemingly out of nowhere in the qualifiers to emerge dominant in the 10km, Yee will be hoping he can replicate that type of run to give him the best chance at medalling when he competes in the men’s elite race.
In addition to the men's triathlon on Monday 26th July at 06:30 JST (10:30pm on Sunday 25th July in British Summer Time), the Tokyo 2020 Games includes a triathlon mixed relay event. You can read more about that, and all other events from the Games, in the official Tokyo 2020 Olympics live blog.