As she prepares to compete at the World Triathlon Cup Edmonton in Canada today, Erica Hawley has paid tribute to Dame Flora Duffy, who announced her retirement from triathlon on Wednesday.

Duffy and Hawley represented Bermuda at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the Tokyo gold medal-winner was fifth, while Hawley finished 41st in her maiden appearance at the biggest multi-sport event in the world.

“I am so happy for Flora and I wish her the best for whichever chapter lies ahead,” Hawley told The Royal Gazette.

“She will be a once in a generation athlete and has truly etched her name in the triathlete Hall of Fame.

“I hope to race as fiercely as she did, and she has taught me a lot about how to be a professional in the sport, which I am thankful for.

“I hope Flora’s legacy will continue for many years to come and that Bermudian athletes will continue showing up on the highest stage.”

Hawley, who was 20th at the World Triathlon Cup Huatulco, is part of 61 competitors in the elite women in Edmonton. She is going up against an array of stars from Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, France, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea, Spain and the United States.

“I am feeling excited and nervous for Edmonton,” the Olympian said.

“Huatulco did not go as planned but I have put in a really consistent training block since then. The competition is very strong and since there is a mixed team relay [and Olympic points for the relay], many countries have sent some of their best athletes.

“I have raced in Edmonton at the U23 World Championships in 2021 and also in 2018 where I competed in my first World Triathlon Championship Series race.

“The course has a pretty long and significant climb on the bike which always makes the race more dynamic. The swim is known to be pretty aggressive since the first buoy is at around 200 meters and there are a few tight turns.

“I suspect that the girls will try and get a breakaway going on the swim/bike so the pressure will be on from the get go.”

Hawley was forced to withdraw from the Americas Triathlon Championships Antofagasta in Chile two weeks ago. This left Tyler Smith, Nicholas Pilgrim, Jackson Langley and Oliver Hayward to fly the Bermuda flag.

“The lead-in to Huatulco was a little rocky and I had some back pain and personal struggles that I was dealing with,” the 28-year-old said.

“After an underwhelming performance, I decided to pull out from Antofagasta and get in a training block which was needed after some inconsistent weeks.

“I was bummed to miss this race with there being a large Bermuda contingent in Tyler, Ollie and Jackson. The next generation is coming up and it seems like I’ll be at races with more Bermudians in future.

“After not racing in Chile, I pivoted and decided to race Edmonton, then Rio and then finish out this racing block in Paraguay.

“Edmonton is one of the easiest journeys to a race so this was also a big bonus for me and it made sense whilst living in the US. I will head back to Bermuda after Canada and then travel to South America from there.”