Triathlete Tyler Smith is approaching the end of 2025 in a far more positive frame of mind than when it started.

A return to elite-level competition with a top-25 finish at the World Triathlon Cup in Brazil on Sunday has allowed Smith to begin to banish memories of an injury-plagued year since he competed at the Olympics in Paris.

But rather than look back on 15 months on the sidelines with regret and disappointment, the 27-year-old is using it as an impetus for the next phase of his career.

“In many ways this is the year that will shape the remainder of my career in the sport.” Smith said.

“It was challenging for a number of reasons, but it is probably something I will appreciate more and more when I look back on it. It’s definitely given me more appreciation for 2024 and my Olympic journey. I’m more proud of myself for getting to Paris given all the injury stuff I had going on in the background and how long it took to resolve.

“Every year, regardless of how it goes, you can hopefully learn something, but 2025 has changed the way I look at the sport, it’s changed the way I look at life and it’s taught me a lot of lessons.”

Despite trying to focus on his race in Brazil, Smith could not help but be thankful for having the opportunity to again compete alongside some of the best triathletes in the world.

“I was really pleased, as just getting back on the start line was a pretty big accomplishment this year,” he said.

“At times I didn’t know it was going to be possible to get back to where I could compete and race at this level.

“Over the last year and a half, I have watched probably about 20 races on my couch hoping that one day I could get back to it. So to be on the beach and get called out to race, I just felt so much gratitude for being there.

“That shift in perspective and putting a little less pressure on myself made the world of difference. When you are in the main group and you feel good on the bike and cornering well, it’s a really fun feeling — I’ve missed that.

“You don’t get the same endorphin release in the gym as you do during the race when the cameras are snapping and the fans are cheering for you.”

There is always a sense of trepidation when an elite athlete returns to action for the first time after a serious injury and Smith admits he was not totally sure how his body would react as he stepped back into the big league.

“In terms of the injury you never quite know until you do an all-out race,” Smith said.

“Triathlon is really demanding. It’s not just the swimming, biking and running, as you have to do all the transitions.

“I had an Achilles injury and I am running on sand, dismounting a bike at 30km/h and running barefoot in transition, so there are a lot of demands on the body.

“It felt great but there are still things I need to work on in getting the mobility back in the ankle, retraining of the gait and getting the spring in my step back. So much of your energy from running comes from the recoil of your Achilles, so it will take a while to get that back to full speed.

“But in terms of pain, it’s such a blessing to be able to do a race pain-free for the first time in 2½ years. As an athlete when you can push yourself from gun to tape and give it everything on the day, that’s all you can ask for. But what I’ve learnt is that you can’t take those days for granted.”

As a result of his injury, Smith’s world ranking has dropped, which meant that in Brazil he faced the worst of conditions in the swim on his way to finishing 21st overall.

“The swim was tough and I was right down the other end from the top guys,” he said.

“They get to choose their starting position — they’ve earned that. But what it meant was that they all went to the far right, as there was a really strong current pushing us all to the left.

“It gave them a pretty big advantage, as it meant they could ride that current to the first buoy whereas all of us on the inside really had to fight to stay on the inside of the buoy.”

Having survived that choppy sea swim and got through the rest of the race unscathed, Smith can finally look forward with big plans for 2026.

“I haven’t seen myself over the Olympic distance yet,” he said. “I’ll get the chance to test myself early next year.

“Once we get to June, the Olympic qualification period starts again, so I’ll have to match and even improve this result consistently to get to Los Angeles. That I was less than a minute off the top ten in Brazil with only a few months of running under my belt gives me a lot of faith in my new coaches in Spain.

“It gives me that assurance to continue and keep on doing what I’m doing.”