Erica Hawley is preparing to race in her first triathlon since competing in the Olympic Games.

Hawley, who finished 41st in Paris, has travelled more than 7,300 miles from her training base in Colorado to New Zealand, where she will be one of the 27 elite women to compete in the World Triathlon Cup Napier, which is scheduled to start at 11.15am local time on Sunday morning (Saturday 6.15pm, Bermuda time).

The 26-year-old, who is ranked just inside the top 100 in the world, is rated the 14th best triathlete in the field, but will be hoping for a top-ten finish on New Zealand’s North Island.

Among Hawley’s rivals will be Italian Verena Steinhauser, who finished 39th at the Olympics and holds the highest world ranking in the field of 26th. Also in the running is Xinyu Lin, of China, who was 28th in Paris, and local favourites Nicole van der Kaay and Ainsley Thorpe, who crossed the finish line on Pont Alexandre Bridge in 34th and 44th respectively.

The race venue is located at Ahuriri Beach, which is just on the outskirts of Napier, a small city with a population of around 67,500 people.

A subtropical location, water temperatures are expected to be around 22C at the time of the event, with the bike and run course both described as flat.