Olympic gold medallist Alex Yee defends celebrating BEFORE the finish line in Boston triathlon win and infuriating his opponent – as Team GB star says the move was not ‘unusual’ and he ‘should be allowed’ to do it

For somebody who seems to leave everything to the last minute, Alex Yee’s celebration at last weekend’s Boston supertri seemed particularly premature.

No sooner had he repeated his Olympic trick of overtaking fierce rival Hayden Wilde at the last minute, this time on the very final corner, than the Team GB star was folding his arms in a move which was more notable for its timing than its content.

Yee was still yards away from the finish line when he brought out the celebration and even had to take a quick look over his shoulder to make sure his pesky New Zealand adversary was not about to retake the lead in embarassing fashion.

Cue a barrage of comment, criticism, praise and speculation about the meaning of the gesture and whether it was arrogant or entertaining – or both. 

Now the undisputed poster boy of triathlonning has weighed in on the simple crossing of the arms which many thought crossed the line. 

Speaking exclusively to Mail Sport, a defiant Yee fended off the backlash towards the celebration, claiming he ‘should be allowed’ to do it.

‘I wouldn’t say it was an unusual celebration,’ he said. ‘I actually think it’s pretty casual compared to a lot of people. 

‘I just try to enjoy finishing the race and winning and hopefully entertain people and I think that should be allowed.’ 

The 26-year-old lit up the Olympics last month with his mesmerising comeback in the gruelling Paris heat and his beaming smile as he stood on the podium.

Representing a sport that gets limited attention in between the four-yearly spectacles, Yee stressed the importance of capitalising on the momentum the Games brings.

‘We want to put on a show and get people excited after the Olympics,’ he said. ‘We are pushing each other to the limits and the celebration was just a celebration like most people would celebrate a race.’

‘People have taken it in different ways and whatever but for us it is about animating the sport and making it exciting.’

Some spectators might argue that Yee’s running alone provides ample entertainment for those looking to get into the sport.

Indeed, the Brit, who is the most successful triathlete in Olympic history, was chosen to fly the flag for his country in the closing ceremony.

And his first notable race after the giddy heights of Paris could hardly have been more gripping, the top athletes exchanging places with dizzying regularity before Yee came out on top in the last 100m.

Those hoping to see this kind of chaos every week, or perhaps those just hoping they can tune in for the last five minutes, will be sorely disappointed to hear that such fireworks are not pre-meditated.

‘It was never part of the plan,’ Yee said. ‘I did go through a bit of a bad patch in the [Olympic individual] race and for me it was about weathering that and giving myself a small glimmer of hope that there was a chance I could do it. 

‘The Olympics isn’t about being at your best on the day, it’s about optimising what you have on the day, and for me that was what I had to do with what I was given.’ 

Much of the build-up to the three-pronged endurance test was dominated by River Seine insanity, with some competitors bemoaning the fact they were being made to swim in the filthy body of water.

For Yee, this was a shame. His crowning achievement muddied somewhat by the ongoing narrative that the swimming leg had been unsafe. 

‘I think there was a little bit too much talk about the Seine,’ he said. ‘It is good to highlight that we need clean water to do the events that we do, but fundamentally we want to put on a show and we want to excite people about our sport. 

‘It’s a shame when you finish the race and you’ve achieved the biggest thing that you’ve ever achieved and the primary conversation is on something different. 

‘Of course it is a different topic but it would be good to celebrate the race we had a little bit more than focussing on those concerns.’

Perhaps the rather unpleasant insight into rival Seth Rider’s triathlon preparations, shared by the US athlete in the run-up to the event, did not help the general Seine-related frenzy.

Before the contest was even delayed from July 30 to July 31, the 27-year-old said: ‘We know there is going to be some E.coli exposure.

‘So I just try to increase my E.coli threshold by exposing myself to a bit of E.coli in your day-to-day life.’

He added: ‘Just little things throughout your day, like, not washing your hands after you go to the bathroom and stuff like this.’

Turns out this was all a joke, or at least an embellishment – much to the relief of anyone who has engaged in a handshake with Rider in the last few weeks.

Yee said: ‘It was funny when he said that and a lot of people believed that was the truth rather than Seth making a joke.

‘But for us it was more about taking precautions before the race and making sure we do go in the water, and pre- and post-race we do the right things to minimise the risk of anything happening if it is dirty.’

It is possibly worth taking half a step back and putting into context exactly how gruelling such a race is, with or without foul and potentially dangerous river water.

First, athletes must swim 1500m, which is equivalent to 30 Olympic swimming pools, before removing their goggles and caps and hopping on their bikes.

The cycling leg is 20km long and takes up the lion’s share of the time at around 50-55 minutes, before a dart to the finish ensues as competitors mix pace with endurance to complete a 10km run as quickly as possible.

This is where Yee makes up the ground and his time of 29m 47s was remarkable given the two gruelling legs that came before. 

It comes as no surprise to discover that the Brit experiences a litany of emotions and thoughts over the course of the two-hour ordeal and that sorting through them can be a challenge.

He said: ‘It is thinking about the process of what you are doing but keeping it simple.

‘If you overthink what you are doing it is easy to self-sabotage your race and things can spiral very quickly from then. 

‘For me it is keeping focussed on my process and we train so hard that you have experienced that kind of pain or worse in training so you are prepared for it and ready to tackle that.’ 

Such thinking, or lack thereof, helped Yee engineer a last-minute comeback for the ages – and an even better one a fortnight later in Boston. Winning is a habit and it is one that the lad from Lewisham has possessed for some time.

The Team GB icon now has more Olympic medals than the two Brownlee brothers with Jonny on three and Alistair on two although the two Yorkshiremen’s impact on the sport cannot be understated. 

Yee himself has spoken fondly about witnessing the pair as a 14-year-old at Hyde Park during the 2012 Olympics and it has even been reported that Alistair shouted a message of encouragement as his successor trotted around Pont Alexandre III in last month’s Paris showdown.

‘Anything can happen, mate!’ cried the only Olympian to win two golds in the individual event – and when an athlete of his stature delivers a call to arms like this it presumably rings out over the cacophony of an Olympic crowd.

The words of advice, though slightly vague, were enough to see the Londoner over the line and his bronze medal five days later in the team race saw him inch past Jonny’s medal haul.

And it could have been even better – were it not for the controversial decision to downgrade his team, which included Georgia Taylor-Brown, Samuel Dickinson and Beth Potter, from their original silver after the closest of photo replays.

Yee remains sanguine about the result.

‘I think it probably was the right call given the photo finish data we were given,’ he said. 

‘It was so close. I think it was closer than the 100m final so for a race of one hour 20 minutes to come down to such fine margins is exciting and a testament to how much our sport has evolved and developed. 

‘Of course we can’t be disappointed with a bronze medal. An Olympic medal is what we worked hard to achieve and as a team we gave 100 per cent and I think we won the bronze rather than losing the silver and that’s what we’ve got to celebrate and be happy with.’ 

Either way, he overtook mentor Jonny and was rewarded for his record-breaking Games by being chosen to fly the flag for Team GB at the closing ceremony. 

Even this was appropriately last-minute. 

‘It was something I never imagined going into this Olympics or even after what I achieved at the Olympics,’ Yee said.

‘I was actually out on a run and was told to keep my phone near me on the day of the closing ceremony and I thought I was in trouble for something. 

‘To be asked was a massive honour and I still can’t believe it.’ 

What next then for the Olympic champion? Rest? Recuperation? A holiday? 

No chance. GB’s star of the Games is following up on his promise to bring triathlon to a bigger audience and is starting with his home city in a couple of weeks.

Yee said: ‘It will be really special. London always brings, as a biased person, the best energy of any supertri race. 

‘I am really excited to go back there and see some faces that haven’t seen triathlon before or didn’t know what triathlon was before the Olympics or before supertri came to London. 

‘It is going to be very rewarding and it is exciting for me to come back and race and that I am able to give back and race for a city that gave me so much and hopefully I can give back to them as well.’ 

Another last-second overtake and a brand-new celebration will do nicely, Alex.