Triathlete Tyler Butterfield has found a silver lining behind his cloud of disappointment at this year?s World Championships.

While finishing 16th out of 61 in the Under-23 age group, the Bermudian noted there are certain positives by which is buoyed as he enters the home stretch of preparations for this summer?s Olympics.

The top issue is that while he was the lone competitor in his race who opted not to wear a wetsuit, none will be allowed in Athens unless there?s a significant temperature drop.

In addition, a comparison of his time (and splits) with those in the Elite race showed he would have been competitive among them as they swam slower than the Under-23s. Many of those in the Elite race ? some of whom did not wear wetsuits ? will be who Butterfield faces at the Olympics.

?The Elites without a wetsuit and me without one ? I?m not that far behind. I was only 30 seconds behind the Elite?s second pack swim-wise and I would have been up with a few other Elite competitors. So I got a positive out of that because we did the exact same course on the same day,? he noted.

?It would have been interesting if I had an Elite start. I wouldn?t have come 16th but I would have been with more bikers and in a better bike pack.?

While wetsuits generally make competitors faster ?by a fair margin?, Butterfield revealed that each time he uses one he is ?the same or slower?.

These body-clinging garments will not be permitted in the Olympics unless the water temperature dips below 20 degrees celsius.

?Once it?s above 20 degrees you cannot wear them and the temperature in Athens they say will be about 24 (degrees). So no-one should have a wetsuit which is nice but I do not want to come away from that looking at my splits. I want to come away happy with my overall performance,? he explained.

It?s therefore in his best interest, since he feels no advantage in it, to disregard the wetsuit as he continues his build-up and that?s what he chose to do at the Worlds two weekends ago in Portugal.

Butterfield disclosed that last year he was two minutes behind the first swimmer and ?we all had wetsuits? and this year he was again two minutes adrift of the first Under-23 swimmer ?and I didn?t have a wetsuit?.

Still he is far from pleased with his showing at Worlds and knows much better will be required if he is to figure prominently at the Olympiad.

?It definitely wasn?t the performance I was hoping for. I was hoping for a top five or top three,? said the 21-year-old who was let down by his swim for the umpteenth occasion.

?My swim wasn?t that good time-wise. I was with a guy from the Ukraine coming out of the swim and he and I were very strong on the bike. We cycled up from the back of the swim ? we were second or third last ? and caught the second pack of about 15 riders.

?The lead pack had about 25 guys and I caught 11 of them but there were still 15 in front of me.?

Frustratingly, he noted that, given that his ride was the fifth-fastest overall, had he been up with the first pack from the beginning he might well have had a chance to be in the top ten ? and possibly even the top five.

Speaking from Athens, Greece, where he is testing out the Olympics course, Butterfield candidly assessed what he must do.

?I need to swim about 45 seconds faster to be in the second pack in the Olympics. The first pack is about a minute ahead. I also have to take two minutes off my run. My bike is pretty good though the Olympic course is very hard.?

Yesterday, he swam in the bay where the Olympic triathlon starts and today he will negotiate the five-lap circuit which he and the other medal contenders will attack in August ? he also plans to run the final segment of the three-discipline sport.