Alex Yee: Olympic triathlon champion set for London Marathon debut

When Alex Yee sits down for post-race dim sum with his family on Sunday, it will represent a poignant full-circle moment.

That was the reward Yee, who has Chinese heritage on his father’s side, recalls provided the main motivation to run – and twice place third in – the Mini London Marathon as a child.

It was not long before the spectacle of the London Marathon captured his imagination and he nagged his parents to help him peer over the barriers for a closer look at the elites.

But on Sunday it is Yee, the reigning Olympic and world triathlon champion, whom hundreds of thousands of spectators will hope to catch a glimpse of as he embraces the unknown on the streets of his home city.

“As time went on I realised the excitement of the London Marathon, the impact it had and how momentous a day it was,” Yee tells BBC Sport before his debut over 26.2 miles.

“I’m not thinking past the experience but afterwards I’d definitely like to get some dim sum with my family and have that deja vu moment,” he adds, 10 years on from his last mini marathon.

There are certainly less demanding challenges the 27-year-old could have undertaken to provide the mental refresh he sought after a career-defining year.

But after capturing triathlon’s two biggest prizes fewer than 12 weeks apart, ending his world title wait in October after his spectacular recovery on the banks of the River Seine clinched Olympic gold in Paris in the summer, Yee knew where he wanted to set his sights next.

Not that he expected his coach to agree to his left-field suggestion.

“Definitely not. It’s been something I’ve asked every single year, but it never really made sense,” says Yee, the most decorated Olympic triathlete in history.

“This time we were trying to think what would get me to LA [2028 Olympics] in the best place mentally and physically. It was important to freshen things up.

“It’s been really exciting to work on my running after five years of trying to make my swim and bike an appropriate level to be competitive in triathlon. It’s something I’ve wanted to do and I’m excited to scratch that itch.”