New Zealand has won its first medal of the Tokyo Olympics, as Hayden Wilde took home bronze from the men's triathlon at Odaiba Bay on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old cemented himself as a medal contender heading into the 10km run, and kept himself at the front of the pack behind eventual winner Kristian Blummenfelt of Norway, and Alex Yee of Great Britain.
Wilde finished with a time of 1h 45m 24s, 20 seconds behind Blummenfelt, and 11 seconds back from Yee. Blummenfelt's winning time was 1h 45m 04s.
"I am pretty happy," Wilde told Sky Sport after the race.
"It was good to get a medal back in triathlon.
"It was great for my coaches. That was definitely for my family and my dad as well. He passed away 12 years ago and never got to see me race. Cheers for everyone back home as well.
"Yeah, it is pretty unreal. I have been in sport for nearly four years. So it is a dream come true.''
The bronze is New Zealand's first medal in the triathlon since 2008, won by Bevan Docherty in Beijing.
Wilde's effort was capped off by his strong performance in the run, having been placed 14th after the bike leg, having been back as far as 37th after the swim.
Fellow Kiwi Tayler Reid came home in 18th place, having at one point led the race during the bike leg.
Reid finished with a time of 1h 46m 54s.
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