‘Athletes are entertainers too’: Alex Yee on being a showman and dealing with Olympic glory

He went viral with a ‘cold’ celebration labelled cocky after another last-gasp win, but Yee is embracing the chance to get more personality in sport

Alex Yee does not immediately strike you as a showman. There is little brash about the slight, unassuming south Londoner who became the most decorated triathlete in Olympic history just a few weeks ago and when he talks about athletes in ancient times it is not easy to picture him slugging it out in the Colosseum. He is, however, developing a keen sense of theatre.

His individual Olympic gold medal in Paris ranks as one of the most dramatic moments of the Games. He was seemingly out of contention with 1km of the 10km run remaining, scrapping to hold on to silver and 14sec down on Hayden Wilde of New Zealand, but a miraculous surge past his great rival with 400m to go took him to the top of the podium. A few weeks later at an event in Boston he pulled off a similarly dramatic finish, again edging past Wilde near the finish line.

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