Riian Naude overcame a slow start on the swim, hot conditions and the challenge of Australian junior Trent Muffett to take overall honours in Sunday's Shell Gold Cup triathlon.

Naude's victory - his third of the season locally - was hard earned as Muffett easily led the field after the 750 metre swim and looked to consolidate his position on the bike, knowing that Naude, the 2002 Front Street mile winner, would be a major threat on the run if he faltered.

However, it was Naude who produced the faster bike split as he worked his way through the field over the four-loop 20 kilometre course to enter the bike/run transition in third, seconds behind 15-year-old Khamari Greaves with Muffett only just on his way out to start the run.

Meanwhile, an interesting race was developing among the women as 15-year-old Flora Duffy took a commanding lead into the bike leg. Behind her, Great Britain triathlete Collette O'Neill, who arrived in Bermuda on Saturday night to assist with a junior coaching clinic, was contending with jet lag and the heat but kept Duffy within striking distance going into the run.

By the start of the second lap of the four-loop 5K run, Naude had reeled in Muffett and from then on he increased the pace to carve out a commanding lead, finishing the race in one hour, eight minutes, 37 seconds - over four minutes ahead of Muffett.

The Australian visitor also had to contend with a determined Greaves, whose run is normally his weakest discipline. The young Bermudian dug deep to catch Muffett but the Australian opened up a slim lead on the last lap to take second in 1.12.55 with Greaves doing well to hold off a fast finishing Norbert Meyer for third in 1.13.16 and first place in the 13-15 age group.

Meyer finished in 1.13.29 to take the men's 30-39 age group title and fourth.

Duffy held her form together well on the run but 34-year-old O'Neill paced herself well as she took a minute out of the local youngster on the first lap and in the end recorded a comfortable win in 1.16.24 with Duffy finishing strongly for second in 1.18.33 to take the girls' 13-15 age group.

Kim McMullen placed third in 1.20.04 after a fast run that earned her the 30-39 title.

In other age group results Jim Hinton produced an excellent swim and bike and hung on well in the run to win the 40-49 age group with junior Coyatito Smith (16-19) and Ian Fox (50-plus) also winners.

Among the women, Lea Butterfield won the 40-49 title with Annette Hallett the 50-plus female winner and Jennifer Boys the 20-29 winner.

The overall team winners were TNT consisting of Darren Woods (swim), Evan Naude (bike) and Brendan O'Riordan (run). Chris Mitchell and Catherine Woods were the Tri-a-Triathlon winners over shorter distances.

Earlier in the day, a large group of youngsters aged six to 15 competed in junior triathlons over various distances in racing bike and mountain bike divisions.

In the racing bike divisions, David Lunn and Dorian Armstrong, who have been unbeaten all season in triathlon competition, were again convincing winners in the boys' 8-9 and 10-11 age groups respectively while in the competitive 12-13 age group, Tim Fox produced an excellent bike and run to hold off Geoff Burns, the winner of the AON and Pirate's Port triathlons earlier in the season.

Erek Fox was the winner of the 14-15 age group with Rory Caslin winning the boys' 6-7 category.

Predictably, the talented Kaitlin Miller was an easy winner in the girls' 10-11 age group some three minutes ahead of her nearest rival. Annabella Doyle (6-7), Sophie Adams (8-9), Theresia Hinton (12-13) and Ali Bolton (14-15) were the other winners.

On hand to present prizes were Shell Bermuda country manager, Philip Burton, and Sports Minister Randy Horton.