Double Olympic medallist on striking gold in triathlon, his upbringing in Lewisham and inspiring the next generation

Alex Yee is “just a normal boy from South-East London”. Take it from him, not us. That was what he said immediately after his Olympic triathlon success in Tokyo, where he won a silver medal in the individual race before striking gold in the inaugural mixed event alongside Jess Learmonth, Georgia Taylor-Brown and Jonny Brownlee.

The 23-year-old is now back in the UK and last week popped down to Kent Athletics Club in Lewisham, the club with which he spent hour upon hour honing his running craft when he was growing up.

Now that he is out of the Tokyo bubble and has had time to reflect on his success, Yee can’t quite believe his achievements.

“Honestly, I wasn’t so focused on outcome,” he says. “This was my first Olympic Games and I was selected just three or four weeks before we flew out so it was just about delivering my best race on the day, going through my processes and enjoying it. I was never going to get that experience again so I just wanted to enjoy it and I was amazed with the results, that [the medals] are a bonus.”

On his roots in Lewisham, Yee adds: “I was born at the hospital just down the road! It’s pretty cool and this is the track where I started running, which began my journey into athletics and triathlon. I remember running to the track from home and the hustle of it so it’s a bit bizarre to be back here after the recent success.”

Alex Yee was born two years before triathlon made its debut at the Sydney Olympics.

He started as a nine-year-old and is now an Olympic silver medallist. #Triathalon #Olympics pic.twitter.com/X2GSQcltW0

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) July 26, 2021

Going into Tokyo, Yee was talked about as one of the contenders after winning the World Triathlon Championship Series in Leeds in June.

With personal bests of 13:29.28 for 5000m and 27:51.94 for 10,000m, added to the fact that Yee represented Great Britain in the 10,000m at the 2018 European Championships in Berlin, running has always been his strongest point in the triathlon.

That came to the fore during the individual race when he battled Kristian Blummenfelt for the gold. In sweltering conditions, Yee took home silver after he couldn’t respond to the Norwegian’s kick with roughly two kilometres remaining, admitting he got his tactics “slightly wrong”.

“It was special to have those battles,” says Yee, who has also run for Britain at the European Cross Country Championships three times. “These are the kind of moments you never forget in your life. For me, I tried to invest a lot of energy in the run early on to try and thin out the group and maybe I got it slightly wrong.

“Running came quite naturally to me and I’m honestly lucky to have the training partners around me who push me and that’s why I’ve got the strength in the running. That will always be my strong point.

“Kristian got the better of me in Tokyo though and, fair play to him, he was amazing. I remember looking at his gold medal in the press conference afterwards and thinking ‘that’s pretty cool, I want one of them’.”

“I’ve got immense pride to be accepted and for people from Lewisham to be proud of me from what I’ve achieved.”@Lixsanyee on the reaction back at home after winning a gold and a silver medal out in Tokyo. pic.twitter.com/EdLfeSgLA2

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) August 13, 2021

He didn’t have to wait long. With the mixed relay making its debut in Tokyo, the format of the race provided a golden opportunity for the British quartet of Yee, Brownlee, Learmonth and Taylor-Brown. The foursome delivered, with Yee anchoring the team to victory, 14 seconds ahead of the USA.

“When I got handed over on that final leg in the mixed race I was really nervous but in my mind it was about doing it for the team,” he adds. “There was a lot of excitement in our camp before the race because of how the individual had gone so we all thought there might be an opportunity. I guess everyone was in really good shape and we saw each other in training but the main thing was to have fun and that was the best way to stay in the mix.”

“We were really pleased to come out on top and it’s really cool for it to be the inaugural one as well and that makes it even more special. The first emotion [crossing the line] was a little bit of relief because of how well the first three guys had done so I wanted to do that justice. They deserved the gold medal and it was a really emotional moment when I touched the tape and embraced them.”

In 2012, Yee actually watched the Brownlee brothers compete at the London Olympics and the journey from being in the crowd to winning an Olympic medal alongside Jonny is something which he hopes to replicate for the next generation of kids now.

Alistair and Jonny Brownlee have left an incredible legacy behind and made it into a really viable sport, Yee says. “I feel a product of London 2012 when I watched them and that inspired me to come to the Olympics and achieve these things. Hopefully, I can inspire somebody like they did for me.

“The main thing for me is how proud I feel about what I’ve achieved and the people that have invested time in me. I’ve seen people on Twitter and Instagram doing things that they wouldn’t have done if they hadn’t have watched the triathlon and that’s special I can inspire the next generation.”

After his Olympic success, Yee has received not just messages of support – with Sir Mo Farah among those to have been in touch – but also kind gestures. One thing to have particularly touched him is a mural, designed by street artist Lionel Stanhope, of his gold medal.

“I feel an immense pride to be accepted for people of Lewisham to be proud of me and what I’ve achieved. It’s hard to put into words how proud I am,” Yee adds. “The mural is one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. My parents and family were all incredibly excited.

“Before Tokyo, they wrote a card for me that said that ‘if you come first or last, we’ll still love you’. That really helped me just relax and not let me be defeated before the start line.”

Yee’s focus now turns to the final World Triathlon Championship Series race in Edmonton, Canada on Saturday, where he will renew his rivalry with Blummenfelt. It will be fascinating to see what the next chapter holds.