When Alex Yee took the finish line tape cross-armed and fixed a steely gaze down the camera lens, it caused a bit of a stir. Just as at the Olympics a month earlier, Yee had outsprinted Hayden Wilde. This time to win a supertri event in Boston, but unlike in Paris where they had embraced on the blue carpet, now there seemed to be an edge. Was Yee's longtime friendship with the Kiwi starting to turn a bit fractious?

Not really. In the clamour for a post-race news line, too much was made of Yee's celebration, but in contrast to the broad grin that marks him out as one of the most easymannered triathletes in the world, it was a visceral reminder of his determination. For all of Yee's natural talent and flowing running form, he hasn't become the most decorated Olympic triathlete in history (two golds, one silver, one bronze and counting) without the attitude to win.

Both the smile and the work ethic will be present when he steps up to his next big challenge this spring as Yee takes a departure from the competitive rigours of swim, bike and run to hit the streets with 50,000 plus other nervous entrants in this year's TCS London Marathon.

To manage expectations, this isn't about winning the race. It's an exciting opportunity to see how triathlon's best shapes up against the world's best, and while Yee has said somewhere between 2:07 and 2:10 might be attainable, he's well aware that even such an impressive debut (sub 2:08 would put him in the all-time GB top five) is only likely to put him among the also-rans coming down the Mall.

SHORT-COURSE SUCCESS

If he needed any further reminders of that, then a 28:07 clocking over 10km on the roads of Valencia on the second Sunday in January, placed him 29th. He's stepping into a different game here, with new threats emerging, chiefly from east Africa, almost every race.