Bermuda’s Erica Hawley placed 18th in a strong 51-woman field at the 2026 World Triathlon Cup in Rio de Janeiro as elite international triathlon made an emotional return to Copacabana Beach.
Ten years after the world watched history made on the iconic Brazilian sand during the 2016 Olympic Games—where Hawley's compatriot Dame Flora Duffy famously finished eighth—a new generation of triathletes took to the water at one of the sport's most storied venues.
Hawley produced a strong finish to cross the line in 59 minutes and 32 seconds, mounting a superb second-half comeback after a challenging opening swim leg.
Strong run powers Hawley through the field
Starting off in the 750-metre open-water swim, Hawley emerged from the surf in 34th position with a time of 11:06.
However, the Bermudian Olympian quickly settled into a rhythm once onto the bike course, posting the 22nd fastest cycle split of 30:54 to work her way up into the chasing pack.
It was on the final 5km run leg where Hawley truly shined, unleashing the 12th fastest run split of the day in 16:33 to slice through the field and secure a top-20 finish on the global stage.
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