TRIATHLETE Alex Yee is hoping to bring home another medal from the Olympics, after bagging two at Tokyo 2020.
Cheering him on at the 2024 Paris games is his fellow triathlete girlfriend Olivia Mathias.
Olivia Mathias was born in Nottinghamshire on October 12, 1998.
The triathlete is a member of the UK Sport Lottery Funded World Class Programme, and trains in Loughborough.
Olivia studied at the Girls Grammar School in Grantham before going to Loughborough University in 2017, where she studied Industrial Design.
She’s the girlfriend of Team GB triathlete Alex Yee, who’s back at the Olympics for a second time.
Alex took part at Toyko 2020, where he won gold in the triathlon mixed relay and silver in the men’s individual event.
Olivia is a professional triathlete, taking part in competitions for Wales and Great Britain.
She took part in the Commonwealth Games in 2022, taking home a silver medal from the mixed team relay final.
She also came seventh out of 22 in the women’s individual sprint event.
Olivia’s has trained from a young age.
She joined the East Midlands Academy when she was just 12 and was invited to be part of the England Talent Squad in 2012.
Olivia also has a number of gold medals to her name, the most recent from the 2022 Europe Triathlon Cup in Kitzbühel.
Alex and Olivia have been together for eight years.
They’re certainly loved up – they both regularly feature in each others’ social media posts and travel a lot together.
They’ve posted pictures from far flung locations including Santorini, St Lucia and Australia.
The loved-up couple have shared their successes over the years – they even both had podium finishes on the same day at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
But they had a jokey argument after this, when it emerged Alex promised Olivia they could get a Labrador if they both did well – only for him to backtrack.
He said he’d think about it if he did well at the Paris 2024 Olympics, so no doubt Olivia will be cheering him even more enthusiastically if it means she might get a new furry friend.
TEAM GB has had HUGE success in the triathlon at the Olympics.
Ahead of Paris 2024, they have won eight medals in the event since its debut in 2000.
But what are the disciplines and distances in the popular Olympic sport?
SWIM: The Olympic race begins with a 1500 metre swim. This takes place in open water, with competitors wearing swimming caps and goggles. Swimmers can use any stroke except backstroke, but at Olympic level all opt for freestyle.
CYCLE: Next comes the 40km bike ride. Before they head out on their bikes, the athletes must remove their goggles and caps in the transition zone. If they fail to do this in the zone then they will receive a penalty. Wetsuits have been developed so they do not need to be removed after the swim but can be worn for the cycle and run. Shoes are already attached to the bike pedals to save time. Cycling helmets must be worn and securely fastened before the competitor touches the bike. The racer then runs with their bike to exit the transition zone. If they mount their bike before leaving the area they can be penalised or even disqualified.
RUN: After the bike ride the competitor must correctly leave their bike in the transition zone before heading out on the 10km run. They must dismount before entering the area. Once in the zone they must remove their helmet and place it in the correct box, while also putting on their running shoes before leaving the area. The 10km race is the last part of the three-part race with the first over the line being the winner.
PENALTY BOX: Athletes can pick up penalties if they break the rules on the course. This can include deliberately impeding another competitor or cycling too close. During the relay, penalties can be handed out for faulty changeovers. Athletes serve their penalty by entering the penalty box for the required time. They must do this before finishing the race.
Distances in the Olympic mixed relay event are slightly shorter. Each of the four teammates must swim 300 metres, cycle for 6.8km, and run 2km.
