Alex Yee‘s superb marathon debut in London has come at a temporary cost as he’s revealed he’s “picked up a small acute overload injury”.
The Olympic and World Champion in triathlon put his swim, bike and run career on hold to achieve a lifelong ambition of competing in his home city marathon.
And on an unusually hot day for April, Yee clocked an impressive time of 2:11:08 which was good enough for 14th in the Elite men’s race behind winner Sabastian Sawe of Kenya.
Sense of perspective
Plans for the rest of the year had been fluid but the 27-year-old had started ramping up his swimming and cycling volume again.
However he revealed on Instagram this week: “Post-London I sadly picked up a small acute overload injury. Honestly before this I’ve been lucky. Since my crash I’ve been consistent and I believe that’s been one of my super strengths.”
The “crash” he refers to was a horror one when, aged 19, he suffered broken ribs, cracked vertebrae and a collapsed lung after hitting a bollard and losing consciousness during an ITU Triathlon World Cup event in Cagliari, Italy.
And that’s given him a real sense of perspective which he’s applied to this current setback as he added: “The first few weeks I definitely felt down and had a constant urgency to get back, but recently this has turned to gratitude.
“A gratitude I can push my body, I’m healthy and an understanding of the opportunity and challenge somebody has given me for myself and to others.”
‘This year isn’t done’
Yee is the most successful triathlete in Olympic history with two golds, a silver and a bronze his combined haul from Paris and Tokyo.
And he’s heeding the words of one of his heroes – martial arts specialist and philosopher Bruce Lee – as he plots his comeback and insists “this year isn’t done!”
Yee added: “Bruce once said ‘Don’t pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one’
“What I think I’m trying to say is, enjoy movement, enjoy challenging yourself and enjoy life. We don’t get a respawn and this year isn’t done! LET’S GET IT X.”
