Tyler Smith’s impressive performances locally are opening doors for him internationally.

The Bermuda triathlete has been offered the chance to train with six of Canada’s best young triathletes at a camp in Vitoria Gastiez in the Basque region of Spain this month.

Smith will be put through his paces by Kelly Guest, the British Columbia junior elite coach, who held a camp in Bermuda this year.

“I’m certainly grateful to have the opportunity to travel to Europe and train with the best in the world, and to try to develop my skills at a level that isn’t necessarily available in Bermuda,” said Smith, who won this month’s Tokio Millenium Re Sprint Triathlon.

As part of Guest’s squad, Smith will also compete against some of Europe’s top young triathletes in two races in Holland and France next month, as well as the Canadian Junior National Championships.

The tougher European competitions will be a stretch for the 16-year-old.

“Most of my regular competitors are from the Americas, but going against European competition is in general seen as more competitive,” he said.

“A lot more depth in the field is going to give me a better indication of where I’m at, and it’s going to give me the experience to grow more, as well as seeing where I am compared to the Europeans.

“That’s where most of the dominant triathletes are coming from nowadays.”

The camp will help Smith prepare for the Junior Elite 16-19 Triathlon World Championships in Chicago, in September, where Smith is eyeing a top-30 finish.

“I have to be realistic,” Smith added. “The age group is 16 to 19, so I’ll have two more opportunities to race after this.

“I don’t want to just go [to Chicago] and say I’ll be happy to finish, that’s obviously not the goal. I’m really looking to try to get a top-30 finish.

“There should be around 70 competitors, and I know that all these guys are going to be racing really strong. I’m going to be at the younger side of this age group, so if I finish in the top 30 I’ll be really happy with my performance.

“Anything above that would be a bonus, but I’m training to get to that level.”