(April 26, 2012) – Bermuda’s Tyler Butterfield raced back-to-back weekends in his ongoing bid to compete in the 2012 Olympic Games. Through his performances in the ITU World Championship Series Sydney event on April 14th and the ITU Triathlon World Cup Ishigaki event on April 22nd, Butterfield accrued valuable points toward securing a Bermudian Olympic triathlon berth. If successful, this will mark Butterfield’s second Olympic Games, the first being in Athens in 2004.
While Butterfield’s Sydney race did not exactly play to plan, it served to motivate him toward a stellar performance in Ishigaki and still aided in the Olympic points battle.
“I came into T2 dead last in Sydney,” said Butterfield. I hoped I could run my way up to a decent position, and I did manage to finish 28th out of 57 guys, but ultimately that’s not the way I like to race.”
With a week to refocus and the added desire to post a standout performance on the home turf of his main sponsor’s parent company, Tokio Marine Group, Butterfield changed his tactics in the Ishigaki race. Tokio Millenium Re Ltd. (TMR), the Bermuda-based branch of Tokio Marine Group, has long been Butterfield’s staunchest supporter.
“Ishigaki was completely opposite to Sydney,” said Butterfield. “I pushed the lead through T2 and held strong in the run to finish seventh overall. I couldn’t be more proud to have posted a great race in Japan, honoring the long-time support I’ve received from TMR. They’ve backed me since I was just starting out, a total unknown, and they’ve stayed with me throughout every twist and turn in my career. They also helped me secure another major sponsor, Philadelphia Insurance Companies. Both companies have chosen to back Nikki as well as me, so our family feels a huge sense of gratitude for their investment in our passion for racing. What better way to say thanks than to race well in Tokio Marine Group’s home country.”
With Butterfield’s finish in Japan, he now ranks in the final qualification spot in the ‘Olympic Simulation’. If he can maintain or improve that position over the course of the next three ITU races – the World Cup Huatulco on May 6th, the World Championship San Diego on May 12th (assuming he gets a start), and the World Championship Madrid on May 27th – he will be assured of making the Games. Butterfield currently sits fourth on the wait list for a San Diego race start; the final athlete roster will be determined following the results form Huatulco.
Butterfield greatly credits his recent success to the opportunity to train with Brad Kahlefeldt, a close friend and race rival with whom he partnered for nearly every session during the Butterfield family’s recent three-month stay in Australia. Kahlefeldt is the only Australian thus far named to the 2012 Olympic Team and the pair pushed one another to newfound levels of fitness.
Having arrived back to his U.S. home of Boulder, Colorado earlier this week, Butterfield is excited to be reunited with his wife, Nikki and daughter, Savana following a two-week separation and several months away from their home base. He is also eager to train with another London-bound Olympian, New Zealander Kris Gemmell, a houseguest of the Butterfield’s in the build-up to the Games. Butterfield will only enjoy one week in Boulder prior to packing his race bags for Huatulco and hopefully San Diego.
While Butterfield is keenly focused in his final push toward Olympic qualification, he is already finding fulfillment in the improvement he experiences through each race. And with his dream of making his second Olympic team close to being realized, Butterfield acknowledges that he’ll approach the London race with a different level of drive than he did in Athens.
“Just qualifying for Athens was my goal in 2004 – that, and fully enjoying the Olympic experience,” Butterfield said. “But now that I’ve been once, my motivation is stronger than ever to race well there. If I do get to London, I’ll put every ounce of myself into delivering my best ever performance on the world’s greatest stage.”
For more information on Tyler Butterfield, or sponsorship inquires please contact Wattie Ink. www.wattieink.com
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