Tyler Smith's fight back from serious injury has continued with a fantastic return to elite competition at the 2025 World Triathlon Cup in Brazil on Sunday.

Smith represented Bermuda at the Olympics in Paris in 2024 but had not competed at the highest level since, spending a prolonged period battling with a significant Achilles injury and a number of smaller issues that forced him out of action for six months.

But in Florianopolis, in the south of Brazil, Smith shows he still has what it takes to cut it with the best in the world by finishing 21st of the 64 competitors over the sprint distance.

The 27-year-old completed the 750 metre swim, the 19.08km bike ride and 5km run in exactly 55min, just over a minute and a half behind winner David Cantero Del Campo, from Spain.

In an effort to rehabilitate his injury and make hisway back to the top level, Smith spent the summer in Europe training with some of Spain’s top triathletes in Girona before returning home last month.

While preparing for his race in Brazil, Smith competed on home turf at the Cambridge Beaches triathlon in which he beat a team that he helped put together that featured Craig Munden, Bermuda’s open water national champion, Sinclair Packwood Memorial Race winner Matt Boys and Sean Trott, the Bermuda Half-Marathon Derby champion.

It has been a long road back to full health for Smith, who was immobile for more than a week after complications from surgery at the end of February.

That came after operations on Achilles and wrist injuries and in an interview with The Royal Gazette, he revealed the toll it had taken on his physical and mental health.

“It was obviously a traumatic experience and a much more difficult recovery,” Smith said.

“When you go through something like this it almost changes your perspective and your goalposts shift to being able to walk again, to drive around on your own again or make a meal for yourself.”