Alex Yee: 'I didn't feel worthy to stand on the start line'

Alex Yee won Olympic gold and silver in Tokyo

One of Team GB's stars of the Tokyo Olympics has spoken out about his struggles with self-worth.

Triathlete Alex Yee, 23, was selected to compete just a month before the Games began. He'd only competed seven times at this level in his career.

He's returned from his first Olympics with a gold medal in the mixed relay and a silver in the individual race.

But he tells Radio 1 Newsbeat that in past races: "I didn't feel worthy to stand on the start line."

Alex says he suffered from "a mild form of impostor syndrome" when he came on to the competitive triathlete circuit in 2019.

Impostor syndrome is a term used to describe feelings of insecurity or self-doubt, even if there's no evidence to support that belief.

Self-worth struggle

"I definitely struggled at that point with the self-worth of being an athlete," Alex says.

"For me it took a few tough conversations and a lot of work to realise you are worthy of being there."

There's nothing quite like standing on an Olympic podium to prove you deserve to be part of the race.

On crossing the line first in the triathlon mixed relay last weekend, Alex admits the first emotion he felt was relief at not letting down his team-mates Jess Learmonth, Jonny Brownlee and Georgia Taylor-Brown.

• GB win triathlon mixed relay gold

• The triathlete taking on the Brownlees

• Yee selected for Tokyo Olympics

The mixed relay is a new event featuring a team of four athletes who each have to swim 300m, cycle 6.8km and run 2km.

"I remember standing on the start line just thinking: 'I've got to do it for these guys'," Alex says.

"That's probably the most pressure I've ever felt in my life.

"I'm glad I could step up. I'm over the moon."

Back in the UK, Alex celebrates his Olympic triumph at the airport with his mum and dad

Alex, from Lewisham in south London, has dreamt about competing in the Olympics since he was 10 years old.

So being able to visit the the Olympic village after his races was "really special" but also "a little bit bizarre".

"To walk into the Team GB block and see so many brilliant athletes, it makes you realise this is more than just your individual sport," he says.

"This is the nation coming together - I felt really honoured."

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Alex says he never saw himself winning an Olympic medal this year, let alone two.

He's one of several athletes who have benefited from the Games being delayed a year.

He went to Tokyo just three years after competing in his first Olympic distance triathlon, having previously represented Great Britain in the 10,000m at the European Championships in 2018.

He puts his development into an Olympic triathlete down to training with Team GB legends Jonny and Alistair Brownlee, in the brothers' hometown of Leeds.

"It showed me that they're only human and things are really possible if you just keep working hard," Alex says.

After a "crazy few weeks" Alex is now back home in Loughborough.

He says he still can't find the words to describe how it feels to be an Olympian.

"I don't know if it's going to sink in for a long time," he says.

Alex says the most important thing to do now is stay true to who he is.

"I'm not going to change. I just want to stay the same... do the same training, work hard, eat the same breakfast, watch the same rubbish TV in the evenings," he says.

"My girlfriend says I have a lot of catching up to do with Love Island."

Alex with team-mates Jess Learmonth, Jonny Brownlee and Georgia Taylor-Brown

Aside from reality TV, another way Alex plans to stay grounded is by remembering the serious crash he had while racing in 2017.

It almost ended his career before it started.

"I was forced off the road into a concrete bollard and sustained some quite bad injuries," he says.

"It was uncertain if I'd ever return to elite sport again or even training, exercising and doing the things I love.

"I feel really fortunate. If I'm ever tired I always think back to those moments - it gives you that extra drive and an extra reason why."

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