Tyler Smith and Erica Hawley clinched podium finishes in the 16-19 junior elite division of the International Triathlon Union’s Continental Cup in Costa Rica on Saturday.

Smith, a freshman at Leeds University in England, and Hawley, in her first year at Boulder University in Colorado, showed just how much working in an elite coaching environment is paying off by achieving top-three finishes.

Hawley finished second overall in a time of 1hr 21min 26sec, just 17 seconds behind winner, Raquel Guerrero, of the United States.

Hawley produced the fastest swim of the day in 12:59 and then the second fastest bike in 46:06 before finishing the run strongly in 20:58.

Smith had a combined time of 1:13:05 to take third place behind winner David Martin, of the US, who put together the fastest swim and bike of the day to enter the run with a comfortable lead that he never relinquished.

Smith, the Junior Male Athlete of the Year, completed the swim in 12:43, disappointing by his standards as he was seventeenth out of the water about 20 seconds behind Martin and was unable to get onto the lead cycling group.

He then produced a solid bike of 40:47 before posting the quickest run time of the day of 18:27.

n Nick Pilgrim finished sixth and Caleb Ingham sixteenth in the Fi series race for 13-15 year olds in Clermont, Florida, yesterday.

Pilgrim exited the water close to the leaders in 5:51 with Ingham close behind in 5:59.

However, the Bermudian pair were unable to hold the pace of the leading three competitors on the bike whose rides were sub 17 minutes to separate themselves from the group and take the podium positions.