Karen Smith, the Bermuda triathlete, finished a creditable eighth in the 45-49 age group at yesterday’s Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Mont Tremblant, Quebec, Canada.

Smith, who travelled to Nanjing, China, as the manager of the Bermuda triathlon team at the Youth Olympic Games in August, posted an overall time of 4hr 59min 54sec.

Sarah Russell, of the United States, won the age group in a time of 4:50:18.

Heather Cooper, who is still recovering from a shoulder injury, delivered a gutsy performance in the 50-54 age category, finishing 60th in a time of 6:14:30.

Smith said: “The race went fairly well. I’m happy enough. Lots of people thought this course was hard.”