If Tyler Butterfield's Commonwealth Games debut is anything to go by then expect the teenager to be putting Bermuda firmly on the triathlon map in the not too distant future.

Out of 34 competitors, including world and Olympic champions, Butterfield came in 14th, finishing the 1500 metre swim, 41.5 kilometre cycle and 10 kilometre run in 1:57.01.

"Awesome" was how he described the experience of competing on the world stage over a demanding course that started with two laps of the Salford Quays, followed by a city centre ride and concluded with a run that took in Manchester United's Old Trafford Stadium - oh yes, and all this in front of a crowd of more than 70,000.

The race was won by Canada's Simon Whitfield in a time of 1:51.57, while Miles Stewart of Australia took silver and Hamish Carter of New Zealand bronze.

Bermuda's other entrant in the men's race, Kent Richardson, did himself proud after coming out of the swim in last place. The 43-year-old finished 31st in a time of 2:16.40.

Earlier in the day, team-mate Karen Smith had set the tone with a fine finish in the women's race, coming in 15th in 2:18.36.

Butterfield's performance was even more noteworthy when consideration is given to the fact he emerged from the water 23rd.

Prior to the race he said he had hoped to latch onto a sizeable pack to help pull him through what is his weakest discipline. But as it turned out he was among four who set about chasing those in front down when they made the transition to the bike.

Working together they managed to reel in some of the other riders and by the time they discarded their cycles in favour of their trainers they had narrowed the gap between themselves and the chasing pack considerably.

Catching them was not really a possibility, but Butterfield, who favours his run, gave it his all.

He was completing laps in the region of ten minutes and when he crossed the line, touching hands with members of the crowd as he approached like a returning hero, he was just five minutes behind winner Whitfield.

"I was happy with the swim," he said afterwards, barely seeming out of breath. "I didn't make the first pack but I didn't expect to. I am not a great swimmer so I was happy to get into a small group.

"We did quite a lot of work on the bike but it was fun. It was a good experience, it makes you realise if you are not a good swimmer then you are always going to playing catch up."

Butterfield said when on the bike he had just set out to take as many people as he could.

"We saw a couple of groups in front of us and so we just tried to catch them on the way. As I said it was fun."

Butterfield said he was not sure when he started out to pound the pavements whether the work on the bike would have an adverse effect on his performance.

"I thought I might get shot out the back so I sat behind David Haines (Wales) for a little while and then he pulled away on the last lap," he said adding, "I gave it the best I could."

The athlete, based in Australia, paid tribute to the crowd, who included many of his compatriots.

"The crowd was awesome," he said. "It's the biggest crowd I have ever raced in. There were perhaps more Bermudians out there than you see at home. They had flags and you could even see them on the swim."

As for his future, he said yesterday's experience had just whetted his appetite for more.

"You have got to race against the best if you want to be one of the best," he said. "It was good to go out there and fall behind because you know what you have to work up to. It shows that I have a huge amount to go on my swim and while I am not there on my bike and run, I am getting there. I have to work on my swim, my bike and my swim in that order." Richardson, who got one of the biggest cheers of the day as he crossed the final bridge arms aloft before collecting a Bermuda flag believed he paid for getting carried away early on.

"I think I went out a little too hard in the swim," he said. "There was a little suffering there. I just got too tired and so I tried to back off and go easy. I thought I might catch a few guys on the bike, which I did."

Smith was overcome by emotion at the end of her race, which was won by Canada's Carol Montgomery. Leanda Cave of Wales took silver, with the bronze going to Nicole Hackett of Australia.

"I wanted to draft off Bella Comerford of Scotland," she said, describing her pre-race strategy. "I actually thought she came out behind me (after the swim) because I heard the announcer say `Bella and Karen are out'.

"So I kind of waited and she was in front. She rode all by herself and I think she had a pretty good race. If I had kept with her, who knows, it might have been a different outcome."

Smith said she would feel comfortable racing in such a field again, but needed to work on her swim if she was to make any inroads into the leaders.

"I don't think the main pack of cyclists are doing anything that I can't do," she said. "But they are certainly swimming a lot faster than I can and that's really the key. If you don't get into them from the swim you will never catch them."

She also praised the spectators for their assistance.

"It was awesome. They were sparse around the city but here it was so much fun," she said. "Going up to Manchester United's stadium there were a lot of Bermudians there and it just gave me another push to get past the South African girl (Trudi Barnes). Once I went by her I wasn't going to let her by again."

Summing up her Games experience, Smith said there was nothing to touch it.

"This is the most incredible race I have ever done," she said, fighting back the tears. "Nothing will ever compare to it. I am just so emotional. I just can't believe I did it."