Bermuda’s Tyler Smith crossed the line 11th overall in what can only be described as an amazing performance.
Aussie Matthew Hauser added another World Championship Title to his resume after claiming victory as the Junior World Champion at the 2017 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final.
It was a cold and wet morning but Smith stayed amongst the leaders in this 75-man race from the gun clocking a time of 57.18.
Smith was 11th out of the water at 9:06, which saw him only 10 seconds behind leader and he clocked the fastest bike of the day at 29:26 put him in the lead pack which dwindled to 7 riders by T2.
Smith got caught by a few faster runners in the chase pack but was happy with his 16:38 5km Run time.
Smith was 1:24 behind race winner Houser who clocked 55:54 and just 43 seconds off the podium.
Smith said, “I was really happy with my performance today in Rotterdam. I knew I had good fitness coming in, and it was just about executing a clean race.”
“I knew that on a technical course it would be essential to stay at the front of the bike, and myself along with 2 Norwegian athletes and the Australian Hauser put in work to shake off a few athletes and narrow the lead group to only 9 riders,” continued Smith.
Smith went on to say, “With the run being my weakness I just tried to protect my position off the bike, and knew that if I ran strong I'd finish the day with the race of my life.”
Smith concluded, “I am really pleased that the commitment to train overseas in the U.K. this year paid off, and look forward to moving into Under 23 and Elite racing.”
