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Sunday, July 05, 2026
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Smith Hails 'Fantastic Day' as Personal Best
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Bermudian Olympian Tyler Smith has spoken of his immense pride after delivering a landmark performance at the 2026 Americas Triathlon Championships in Antofagasta, Chile.
Smith secured an impressive eighth-place finish in the Elite Men's division, executing a tactical race in demanding coastal conditions before unleashing a milestone personal best on the run.
"I'm super pleased with my race and really proud of my performance today," Smith told www,islandstats,com. "It was a tough Olympic distance, as they always are—especially when you get to Continental Championships. The level is going to be high and there were some really class athletes in the race."
The foundation for Smith’s top-ten finish was laid during a highly challenging open-water discipline, where the field had to navigate choppy waters and tricky tidal currents swirling out of a small bay on the Chilean coast.
"I was happy to execute a good swim," Smith reflected. "That was probably going to be the most key part of the race with choppy conditions and a little bit of a tide to navigate coming out of a small bay in coastal Chile."
His water management paid dividends. After three leading athletes threatened to shatter the field by breaking away early in the swim, Smith successfully positioned himself at the forefront of the main pursuit pack.
"Luckily, I found myself in the main chase group after three athletes broke away on the swim. We were able to work and cooperate effectively to bring back that gap pretty quickly, and found ourselves in a leading group of 16 or 17 athletes."
The front group maintained their collective discipline on the bike leg, working in tandem to hold off a massive second wave of forty chasing riders to set up a grandstand finale on foot.
With the field tightly bunched entering the final transition, the continental title came down to a grueling 10km footrace.
Smith seized the opportunity, producing a blistering 31:37 split—marking the fastest 10km run he has ever recorded directly off a grueling bike discipline.
"We continued to cooperate well to hold off the 40-odd men chasing from behind, and set ourselves up well for a 10k run to figure out who would come out on top and what the final positions would be. I was really, really happy with my performance. I ran 31:37, which is basically the fastest I've run off a bike—so a new off-the-bike personal record for me over the 10k."
"It was a fantastic day of racing for Bermuda, and really encouraging for Bermuda Triathlon." said Smith
The event marked a highly significant milestone for the island's triathlon program, with Smith sharing the elite start-line alongside fellow countryman Nicholas Pilgrim, while a promising contingent of junior athletes gained vital experience watching on from the sidelines.
"I'm really happy to be able to share the start-line with Nick Pilgrim in the elite race, and we also had the juniors there to watch as well," Smith added. "It was a fantastic day of racing for Bermuda, and really encouraging for Bermuda Triathlon."
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Saturday, July 04, 2026
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Smith, Pilgrim, Hayward & Langley Compete in Chile
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Bermuda’s Olympian Tyler Smith delivered a masterclass on two wheels to spearhead a four-strong Bermudian contingent at the historic Americas Triathlon Championships in Chile.
Facing the continent's elite in the coastal city of Antofagasta, Smith secured a superb eighth-place finish in the Elite Men's Division, clocking an overall time of 1:48:16.
It was a performance defined by an astonishing bike leg. Smith left the water in 17th position after a grueling 1.5km swim of 18:49, leaving him with significant ground to make up.
Undeterred, he unleashed the fastest bike split of the entire elite field. Tearing through the 43.2km, eight-lap course in a blistering 56:39, Smith relentlessly hunted down the lead pack. He backed up that monumental effort on the bike with a fierce 10km run of 31:37 to cement his top-ten status.
Competing on the identical Olympic-distance course, Nicholas Pilgrim flew the flag for the island in the Under 23 Men’s category.
Pilgrim showcased excellent swimming pedigree early on, emerging from the water in 19:03—the 10th fastest swim time of the day. A solid 58:31 bike leg kept him well in the mix before a challenging 36:27 run saw him cross the line in 25th place overall with a time of 1:55:17.
In the Junior Men's Division, contested over a shorter sprint distance (750m swim, 21.6km bike, 5km run), Oliver Hayward and Jackson Langley experienced the contrasting highs and lows of international racing.
Hayward started spectacularly, executing a brilliant swim to exit the water in 6th place with a time of 10:25. However, the technical bike course took its toll, as a 31:10 split dropped him down the order. He rallied with a gutsy 17:48 run to finish 36th overall in 1:00:48.
There was heartbreak, however, for teammate Jackson Langley. Langley completed a respectable swim in 11:07, but his day was cut prematurely short on the bike leg. He was one of four riders forced into a 'Did Not Finish' (DNF) on a demanding Chilean course that pushed the continent’s finest young athletes to their absolute limits.
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Friday, July 03, 2026
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Henderson & Mora lead the charge as Tri A Tri Series Continues
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The Bermuda Triathlon Association’s popular Tri A Tri Series returned to the picturesque shores of Clearwater Beach, serving up a morning of fast-paced racing across multiple formats and distances.
In the flagship event of the day—the grueling 200m swim, 8km bike, and 2km run—it was Ian Henderson who stole the show. Henderson put on a dominant display, crossing the finish line in a blistering 26 minutes and 36 seconds to take the overall victory.
Philip Woolins secured a highly commendable second-place finish, clocking 27:42, while Elena Mora claimed the women’s crown with an impressive time of 32:10. Seamus Durkin (32:33), Paul Tohill (33:44), and veteran competitor Judith Howe Tucker (39:05) rounded out the finishers in the main distance.
The event highlights the depth of local multisport talent, offering shortened courses designed to test transitional speed and encourage developmental athletes.
Shane Mora flew solo in the 200m/8km/1km variation, stopping the clock at 35:20, while Julia Hawley led the swim-to-bike specialist category in a swift 21:23, ahead of Emma Palmer (24:14). In the 100m/5.3km/1km division, Pippa Henderson put together a clinical three-discipline loop to record a time of 22:28.
There was plenty of excitement in the shorter junior distances as well. Elijah Todd captured the 100m/2.7km/500m event in 15:45. However, the race was marred by minor heartbreak for Emily Fitzsimmons, who was forced to record a Did Not Finish (DNF) after unfortunately tripping during the final run section. Her compatriot James Fitzsimmons found success in the bike-and-run duathlon format, speeding across the line in 13:59.
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Tuesday, June 30, 2026
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Bermuda Quartet Spearhead Americas Championship Charge
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 Tyler Smith IslandStats.com
The high-stakes international showcase, running from July 4 to 5, marks the first time in history that the coastal Chilean city will play host to the prestigious flagship event, co-organized by World Triathlon and the American Triathlon Confederation.
Spearheading the Bermudian challenge in the blue-riband Elite Men's field is the experienced Tyler Smith. Running under number 21, Smith brings formidable continental pedigree to the starting pontoon and will lead the island’s tactical charge against a world-class field.
The Elite division is set to feature a ferocious standard of competition. Brazil's world number one Miguel Hidalgo enters the weekend as the heavy pre-race favorite, alongside two-time Chilean Olympian Diego Moya, who carries the immense weight of home expectations.
In the Under-23 Men's category, rising prospect Nicholas Pilgrim takes the start line under number 67. Pilgrim has shown immense technical development over the Olympic distance and will be eager to assert his authority in the age-group ranks.
The future of Bermuda’s high-performance pipeline will also be on full display in the Junior Men’s championship layout.
Jackson Langley, wearing number 16, and Oliver Hayward, running under number 32, are set to accumulate invaluable international racing minutes. The junior duo face a demanding technical course, but their recent domestic form suggests they are more than capable of mixing it at the business end of the field.
A World-Class Stage: The star-studded festival of sport is not limited to the men’s fields, with legendary Chilean Olympian Bárbara Riveros, Colombia's María Carolina Velásquez Soto, Canada's Emy Legault, and Mexico's Rosa María Tapia Vidal all confirmed for an equally blockbuster elite women's showpiece.
For the host city, the arrival of the Americas Championship represents a massive geopolitical and sporting milestone. Local authorities have transformed the urban waterfront into an elite racing theater, solidifying the region's long-term position as a prime venue for international sports tourism.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Mayor of Antofagasta, Sacha Razmilic, emphasized the legacy of the championship: "These types of competitions allow us to showcase Antofagasta's capacity to host major events to the world. We not only promote sports, we want Antofagasta to continue positioning itself as a city capable of hosting world-class events."
For Bermuda's four traveling athletes, the pristine Pacific waters and grueling coastal bike loops offer the perfect platform to make a resounding continental statement.
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Saturday, June 27, 2026
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Pilgrim Grinds Out Superb Top-20 Finish in Montreal Test
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Bermuda’s Nicholas Pilgrim delivered a powerhouse performance on the global stage, fighting his way to a brilliant top-twenty finish in the Elite Men's field at the high-stakes Montreal Triathlon.
Tackling the iconic, lightning-fast asphalt of the Parc Jean-Drapeau Circuit—a venue world-renowned for testing motorsport drivers to their absolute limits—Pilgrim proved he could trade blows with the world’s finest multi-sport athletes.
Crossing the gantry in a highly commendable seventeenth place overall, the young Bermudian stopped the clock in an impressive total time of 54 minutes and 42 seconds, underlining his rapid development on the international circuit.
The race was contested over the grueling sprint distance, demanding absolute maximum intensity from the starting gun without a single moment to catch one's breath.
Pilgrim started his morning by navigating a fierce, crowded 750-meter open-water swim. Fighting through the heavy chop and physical positioning battles in the basin, he emerged from the water in 9 minutes and 30 seconds to position himself within striking distance of the main chase packs.
Once on the tarmac of the famous racing circuit, Pilgrim truly flexed his engine. He locked into a blistering rhythm for the 20-kilometer bike segment, clocking a rapid 27:40. His sharp tactical positioning allowed him to conserve vital energy while keeping pace with a ruthless, high-speed paceline.
The race ultimately came down to a straight footrace on the unyielding pavement, and Pilgrim did not disappoint.
Laying down an aggressive stride from the second transition, he scorched through the final 5-kilometer run in a superb 16 minutes and 21 seconds. His clinical finishing kick allowed him to pick off several rivals in the closing stages, safely securing his top-20 classification.
This resolute display in Montreal marks another massive milestone for Pilgrim, banking invaluable international ranking points and proving his tactical maturity as he continues to climb the ladder toward the sport's highest echelons.
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