Triathlete Tyler Butterfield is setting his sights on competing for Bermuda at the 2012 Olympics in London – his second Olympic Games.

But of immediate concern for the Colorado-based athlete will be Sunday’s Cozumel Ironman in Mexico.

Butterfield has been busy over the past month, having competed in Florida last week and Mexico nearly three weeks ago.

At the Foster Grant Ironman World Championship in Clearwater, Florida, Butterfield finished in 13th place overall in the men’s pro division while at the ITU Triathlon World Cup in the Mexican coastal town of Huatulco, Butterfield finished 17th – this after suffering a flat tyre.

Butterfield admitted that competing in three events so close together may have taken its toll.

“I did an Olympic course in Mexico a few weeks ago, then did a Half Ironman in Florida last week and now I am doing a full Ironman this weekend in Cozumel. Most people would not do that – it may not be the smartest thing to do but at the same time it makes you more well-rounded athlete,” he said this week.

Butterfield will be hoping to use Sunday’s event to qualify for the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii next year, an event in which his father Jim excelled some 30 years ago.

But he realises that he will have to finish in the top three of the pro division to definitely get an invitiation to Hawaii although he admitted: “I will be very, very happy to finish in the top five.”

And while the 26-year-old Bermudian said he was better at the full-course triathlon such as the event this weekend, he has been concentrating this year on the half triathlon distance.

“I am going into Mexico this weekend under-trained for this distance. I have been training for the half triathlons – not so much for the full ones. I will be cautious for the whole race. I am not looking for a great performance but am looking to feel as comfortable as I can for that distance. But if I have a great day, I qualify for the World Championships. The top three (pros) are guaranteed a place in Hawaii but that doesn’t mean I have to be in the top three. If I can come fourth and one person chooses not to take his place in Hawaii that means I can go. Hopefully I can come in the top five – if I do I will be very happy.”

And if he doesn’t qualify for Hawaii this weekend he will compete in another full triathlon next year.

“I want to focus more on the Olympics again,” he said.

This weekend’s race will involve a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile cycle and 26.2 mile run.

Butterfield said it could be difficult to adjust between the full triathlon course and the half triathlon. “It is hard to switch between the long course and a short course. The short course is used in the Olympics and I am better at the long course. You also have to be a good swimmer for the Olympic course and it is no secret that swimming is not my strongest point. But at the same time I like the challenge. Many coaches will say to me ‘don’t bother with the Olympics’. But the Olympics are the Olympics. It is the time you represent your country – it is separate from being a pro athlete.”

At the Athens Olympics in 2004, Butterfield, then age 21, was the youngest male competitor in the triathlon and he placed 35th.

“Greece taught me a lot. After Greece I was sure that I didn’t want to go to Beijing in 2008. There was a lot of pressure that I mainly put on myself as a young athlete. I knew I didn’t want to go to Beijing but I told my parents that I was looking at London in 2012 and even Rio (in 2016).

“Before going to Greece I chose not to go to college and went to Australia to train. I got a wild card and did well and I was pleased. But I was not going to commit the next four years to Beijing even though I was committed to sport. I didn’t want the Olympics to be the be-all and end-all. The Olympics can be so much joy for many people but at the same time there can be a lot of disappointment there.

“My wife Nikki for instance is no longer (competitively) cycling because the Australians chose not to take her to the Olympics. But the Olympics can be so special.”

Butterfield had a superb finish in September at the Monaco Ironman coming third in the pro division.

“Monaco was a hilly race for both the bike and the run,” he said. “I held back on the bike but I ran a faster time than I did on May 24 (the Bermuda Half Marathon Derby). It was as humid as Bermuda but it was still a tough course.

“And to put it into perspective, last week in Florida my run time was pretty much the same as my May 24 time. And that is after swimming a mile and a bit and cycling 53 miles.”

Butterfield covered the 13.1-mile course in 1:13:28.