Professional triathlete puts Bermuda on the map at prestigious race and is first American ever to reach the podium.
Tyler Butterfield proudly represented two nations as he stood atop the podium in third place at Saturday’s Abu Dhabi International Triathlon, a prestigious race that draws top athletes from around the globe vying for a large professional prize purse in the challenging desert conditions. The dual citizen of Bermuda and the United States was thrilled to stand as the first ever American to crack the top three in Abu Dhabi, as well as to fly the flag of the smaller exotic island where he was born.
“It’s always an honor to do well for my home country of Bermuda, a country with a population of 65,000 and home to my father’s family for generations,” said Butterfield. “I’m especially proud of my heritage and the opportunity to compete on a world stage as Bermuda’s only male professional triathlete. Yet my family also has a strong sporting history in the United States, with my mother, Deborah, running a 2:38 at the first U.S. Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials in 1984. I know my mother, uncles, cousins and the entire American side of my family will be proud of this result.”
Butterfield referred to the race as “interesting and dynamic the whole day.” Early on the bike, he and four-time XTERRA World Champion Conrad Stoltz fought a post-swim deficit and battled to close a gap to the lead men’s group. Once they succeeded the pace remained fierce and uneven, with the men taking turns surging to the front to test one another’s cycling strength. The pack included triathlon superstars Fredrik Van Lierde, Eneko Llanos, Sylvain Sudrie, Fraser Cartmell, Paul Ambrose and David Dellow–a group that collectively owns nine world titles, multiple Ironman World Championship podium placings and numerous Ironman titles.
By the time the men reached the bike-to-run transition the powerful pace had splintered the lead group. Van Lierde started the run first with a slight advantage over Llanos and the two enjoyed a gap of two minutes to Butterfield. With all three men known for their foot speed, they continued their hard-driving efforts to maintain their podium positions, despite a threat to Butterfield’s hold on third place from Belgian Bart Aernouts, who neared to within 20 seconds of his rival.
“This is my best result so far in a field of this caliber,” said an elated Butterfield, following his finish. “I was pushing all day and really enjoyed the competitiveness of the bike with such a world-class group and the tactics that unfolded. I fell victim to the pace in the end, but I played the cards I had and I have no regrets about the day. I fought hard to hold onto third place!”
Unfortunately Nikki Butterfield was forced to pull out of the race with a leg strain that plagued her for the first 60K on the ride. Next, both Butterfields head to Australia to compete in Ironman Melbourne before returning to their U.S. base in Boulder, Colorado.
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