Flora Duffy said she “gave it everything I had” in finishing fourth in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

The Bermuda triathlete described herself as “very happy” with the result in the first World Triathlon Series race of the season.

Duffy finished the event in 1hr 56min 44sec, 34 seconds adrift of winner Jodie Simpson, from Britain.

Ashleigh Gentle, from Australia, was second in 1:56:19, with Helen Jenkins close behind in 1:56:26.

“Really pleased to open the season on a high,” Duffy tweeted afterwards.

Among the leaders out of the water, Duffy settled in among a pack of 25 on the 40-kilometre bike ride, that had swelled to 40 by the last lap, when a crash took out a large number of riders, including Nicola Spirig, the London Olympic gold medallist.

Duffy survived and heading out onto the run she, Jenkins, Stimpson and Emmie Charayron broke away to create some initial space after a tough bike leg.

However, halfway through the ten-kilometre run, Charayron lost some distance and was replaced by Gentle, while Renee Tomlin showcased incredible strides that put her within the top five.

As the last lap approached, Duffy pulled back into fourth and the podium was left to Stimpson, Jenkins and Gentle. It wasn’t until the last kilometre that Stimpson gunned ahead of the other two to secure her place at the top of the podium.

Elsewhere, Erica Hawley shook off a fever to finish 31st in the elite women’s race at the Camtri Sprint Triathlon American Cup, in Clermont, Florida.

Hawley finished in 1:06:06, in a race won by Taylor Knibb, from the United States, in 59:51.

“It was quite hot and Erica raced very hard in a very competitive professional field,” Julia Hawley, Erica’s mother, said.

“She and her coach were very pleased with the result of this first elite race and her first ITU race of the season. This is a great start for the rest of the season.”

Hawley will remain in Florida this week to train with her coach before competing in the ITU Camtri Junior North American Championships in Sarasota on Saturday.

• Nick Pilgrim finished thirteenth in the F1 youth race in Clermont.

The Bermuda youngster finished the 375m swim, 10K bike and 2.5K run in 33:12, with Antoniades Pavlos, from Canada, first in 30:12.

Pilgrim finished second in the 12-13 years old category