Julia Hawley is excited about her return to international competition when she takes part in the age group Aquabike at the World Triathlon Championship Finals Wollongong, in Australia, on Thursday.

The 62-year-old mother of Olympian Erica Hawley has been in Australia since last week to ensure that she is geared up for her first global event in six years.

“My goal is to just have a good positive day and a strong race,” said Hawley, who competed for Bermuda as a cyclist at the 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games.

“I know I have done the training so now I just have to implement everything on race day.

“The last time I competed internationally was in May 2019 when I finished sixth at the 2019 Pontevedra ITU Aquabike World Championships 55-59 female age group in Spain.

“I have worked hard for this race in Australia. It was a great goal for me to be able to get back fitter and healthier at 62 years old, and I’ve discovered that it’s never too late to get back fit again.”

“I do compete in Bermuda but unfortunately they only offer triathlons, so I enter them but only complete the swim and bike and then it shows as DNF [did not finish], which is a bit disappointing.”

With the bike her biggest strength, Hawley has been working hard on her swimming recently, but she is unable to train with her daughter, who is also in action in Australia in the coming days,

“I have worked hard on my swimming and have had some great coaching at Shona Palmer’s masters swimming group,” she said.

“I've always loved cycling so that will be my favourite part of the race for sure. I didn't get to ride with Erica as she would have been far too fast for me and she only arrived in Australia on Monday when I had done most of the preparations. The main tip from her is to always enjoy your race, which I plan to do.”