Triathlete Hayden Wilde wins London T100 race after truck accident
Hayden Wilde during the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Taupō in 2024. Photo / Photosport
New Zealand triathlete Hayden Wilde has completed a remarkable comeback from injury to win the T100 series race in London in emphatic style.
Three months after being hit by a truck on a training ride in Japan, an emotional Wilde returned to competitive action in spectacular style, clearing a way for a memorable victory in the race comprising a 2km swim, 80km cycle and 18km run.
The 27-year-old couldn't hold back tears after crossing the line and later reflected on the low point of a hospital bed in Japan, where he began the recovery from four broken ribs, a broken scapula and a punctured lung after being knocked off his bike by a truck.
NZ triathlete Hayden Wilde. Photo / Hayden Wilde
He was in Japan for several weeks in May as he was unable to fly because of the lung damage.
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RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Hayden Wilde's doctor on his remarkable comeback
Hayden Wilde. Photo: PHOTOSPORT Hayden Wilde's comeback from a horrific accident to win a major race in London on the weekend is a result of dogged toughness, his doctor says. Three months after being hit by a truck on a training ride in Japan, the New Zealand triathlete returned to competitive action with a remarkable victory at the T100 series race on Sunday. The Olympic silver medallist couldn't hold back tears when he crossed the line, having overcome one of the darkest moments of his career. Three months prior, the 27-year-old was in a hospital bed in Japan beginning the recovery from several broken ribs, a broken scapula, and a punctured lung after being knocked off his bike by a truck. Wilde phoned his doctor Sam Mayhew back in New Zealand immediately after the accident in Tokyo. "He phones me up on the side of the road acting as though it wasn't even that bad and then you wait two hours until he's actually in hospital and you get the extent of the injuries and I was like 'jeepers how were you even talking to me' so it's pretty extraordinary what he's been able to achieve in the last three months to get back to racing. "With Hayden he's so tough it was hard to really know what's initially happened. I was firstly worried about concussion because he's just sitting there on the side of the road talking to me from Tokyo, so sort of checking those things." Wilde told his doctor his arm was "a bit sore" but that everything else seemed okay. "Then two hours later I'm getting the full report of the extent of the injuries and I was like 'oh dear'." Dr Mayhew told First Up that it didn't take him long to decide he needed to get to Tokyo. "I got a phone call Sunday afternoon and by Sunday night it was pretty clear it was pretty serious and then made the call to fly to Tokyo that next morning." Getting Wilde surgery on his shoulder in a timely manner became the biggest concern. "Can we get the surgery, when can we get it, how can we get it, and the longer we leave it the riskier it would be for his long-term outcomes. "They [the doctors in Japan] sort of really wanted to wait for about three weeks to allow the ribs and lungs to heal... that's all well and good if he wasn't trying to become an elite triathlete again but it was really concerning about leaving his shoulder in a state without being repaired for three weeks because what happens is it can really seize up... "We didn't really want that shoulder joint to have long-term issues or arthritic issues because it took too long to be put back into a good place and surgically repaired." Hayden Wilde in May. Photo: Hayden Wilde Dr Mayhew helped advocate for Wilde and sorted out the logistics of getting him cleared for an emergency medical flight to Belgium - a week later the surgery was performed. Dr Mayhew, who has worked with Wilde for a number of years, said he was professional in everything he did. "I think probably within about two hours of getting to Tokyo and seeing what the status was, he was already talking about you know X, Y, and Z in terms of rehab and what he needs to do and that means lining up physios, lining up rehab centres. "His brain was already switched on about 'what do I need to do, what are the one percents I can do everyday to be that little bit better' through the rehab and recovery. "He's got a massive team around him that helps with this but it really is led by Hayden and it's really amazing how quickly he could switch from 'okay this sucks but I'm going to get on with it and do something about it'." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
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3 days ago
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Silver Fern Irene van Dyk calls for open talks on menstruation in sports
Experienced sportswomen are calling for a shift in attitudes – breaking the bias and normalising discussions around menstruation in sport. In the first of a four-part series, Bonnie Jansen speaks with netball great Irene van Dyk on her silent struggle of competing while menstruating – hiding the reality and avoiding conversations. Irene van Dyk – one of New Zealand's greatest adopted athletes - still remembers the way she had to hide the cramps, the blood and shame. She was playing netball at the highest level – but she couldn't ask for a tampon. There was a time when she wouldn't even take the court when it was her time of the month. 'When I grew up, you wouldn't even play netball [when you had your period],' van Dyk told the Herald. 'You'd say 'I just started vomiting or I've got diarrhoea'. 'You would literally not play.' Two decades ago, playing elite sport while on your period wasn't just uncomfortable – it was taboo. Periods were whispered about, and athletes were forced to act like nothing was happening – because to acknowledge it might've made you seem weak. 'It was partly because you were bleeding, but also it was sometimes we wore short skirts or your dress was a light colour and anything could show. Van Dyk laughed in disbelief as she recalled the moment. 'Hell no!' she said when asked if she'd ever told her coach the real reason she couldn't play. 'You'd name anything but the fact that you had your period.' It wasn't until van Dyk was playing international netball for South Africa, in her 20s, when she struck up the confidence to play through her period. She felt she had matured and was more prepared to take the court while menstruating. 'I would still not mention it. I would still not tell anyone else I have my period.' It was then, during the era when van Dyk switched allegiances and played for New Zealand, that open discussions about menstruation became more accepted. 'There was one year where I can remember [playing for the Silver Ferns] ... It must have been preparing for the 2003 World Cup or 2006, Commonwealth Games, where our whole team's [menstruation cycle] was in sync.' Irene van Dyk sings the national anthem ahead of the 2007 World Netball Championships final. Photo / Photosport Van Dyk is referring to the phenomenon often called menstrual synchrony – otherwise known as herding. It's the idea that women who live together or spend a lot of time together may begin to have their menstrual cycles at the same time. Though the concept is not scientifically supported, it was popularised in the 1970s. 'We started laughing about it because we were like, 'holy s**t', we never would have talked about it – and now all of a sudden, our whole team is going through the same thing.' Van Dyk – who is Netball New Zealand's participation manager – said it's changed quite significantly when comparing when she played to how menstruation is addressed today. 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Last year, 48 sports clubs across the country received free period products for 5895 athletes. Sport NZ's report said 45,000 pads and 44,200 tampons were distributed. Van Dyk said it would be 'fantastic' if netball could be included in the campaign in future – particularly given that women and girls dominate the sport. 'We are the main female sport and that's something we'll have to look into to make sure we support our players and encourage them and actually normalise [periods] and being able to talk about [periods] in that sense.' 'All female sports should be able to celebrate being a woman and having that ability to regardless of your period.' Sport New Zealand's priority populations manager, focusing on women and girls, Emma Evans, told the Herald, she doesn't want periods to be a barrier for athletes participating in sport and recreation. 'You have access to toilet paper, you have access to soap. You don't necessarily have access to period products,' Evans said. 'Period products shouldn't be a luxury, but sadly, that's how they're often seen. 'For me, a really fundamental part of this is 50% of the population requires period products. 'It's not a 'nice to have' – it's a necessity for health, for dignity, for wellbeing.' Though a huge success, Evans said the legacy campaign wouldn't continue as the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment funding was specifically for that legacy project in 2024. 'After we did this one-year research project, naturally, we had a lot of clubs, sports, regional sports trusts coming to us and saying, 'Hey, we want to be a part of this, what can we do?' 'Unfortunately, there was obviously a limited amount of money and it was linked to those three World Cups, but what we hope is that actually during this one year across these 48 clubs across the country, it gets people talking about this being an issue and this being a barrier. 'I think the research has done that.' Evans said various clubs and sports are having discussions about how they can continue building momentum in the space – without the financial support of the government. 'That's expanded to several regional sports trusts talking with their local council around actually 'what does collaboration look like in this space - how what might we work together' to break down this barrier that is still facing so many women and girls. 'While at this point there are no concrete partnerships that have come from those conversations, I think it's a very exciting step in the right direction.' Van Dyk said normalising period chat is important in sport. 'It happens to everyone, every woman, it happens to every female. '[We need to] reduce barriers for players when it happens on the day. Sometimes the younger ones don't realise [when their period arrives] - they don't follow the track as it goes' 'It just happens and having the ability to just go into the changing room or grabbing something out of the gear bag or having a manager there or someone that has product that you know – it would just be incredible. 'It would be really really helpful.' 'Life is expensive – for some people it is quite hard to prepare for those things. So, to have [sanitary items] on tap and to [player's] availability and then having the confidence to go to ask for it or just grab it – that would be a game changer.' Tuesday: Irene van Dyk on her silent struggle playing netball while menstruating, hiding the reality and avoiding conversations. Wednesday: Aimee Didierjean on the stigma in gymnastics, competing in tight uniforms while navigating pads and tampons, and how intense training led to her period arriving late. Thursday: Sailor Liv Mackay on navigating the challenges of being the sole female on her team and how she manages her period while spending long hours at sea. Friday: Ultra-marathon runner Shannon-Leigh Litt on embracing her flow and how she adapts her training to align with her cycle. Bonnie Jansen is a multimedia journalist in the NZME sports team. She was named New Zealand's Best Up and Coming journalist in 2025. She's a football commentator and co-host of the Football Fever podcast and was part of the Te Rito cadetship scheme before becoming a fulltime journalist.
