Erica Hawley made a fine return to competitive action when finishing ninth in the World Triathlon Cup Napier.

Hawley, who was 41st at the Olympic Games in Paris, crossed the line in New Zealand in 57min 27sec, a little more than a minute behind the winner, Desiree Ridenour, from Canada, who stopped the clock at 56:25.

That winning time was just two seconds faster than Australian Emma Jeffcoat, who finished runner-up, with local favourite Ainsley Thorpe third in 56:34.

Hawley, who is ranked just inside the world’s top 100, entered the race rated the 14th best triathlete in the field but she outperformed those expectation after competing the 750km swim in 10:31, the 20km cycle ride in 28:43 and the 5km run in 17:12.

After recovering from her first race at the elite level in six months, Hawley was pleased with her performance as she returns to top-level racing.

“On reflection, I am happy with the race overall,” Hawley said.

“I had a lot of unknowns going into the race as I haven’t raced since Paris. I took two months off from training in August and September, and it took me a long time to mentally feel ready to race again.

“It was my longest time between racing since Covid, but it was good to see that I am starting the season not far off where I left 2024.”

Although Hawley was pleased with the race overall, she is aware that there are things that can be improved upon as she builds into her season.

“I had a pretty good swim and coming out of the water I was leading the second pack but I had an awful run into transition,” she said.

“It’s pretty hard to mimic that sensation in training from swim to run and I would say that was definitely one of my weaker moments in the race.

“The bike was hard and I would say as a group we rode OK together, and then on the run I felt good for about three of the five kilometres. I think I’m lacking some speed and fitness as it’s so early in the season and I started to fade at the end.

“The top three all live in Australia or New Zealand and have been in their summer so it’s a pretty big advantage having that. I am happy with ninth place, but just bummed that the gap between fourth and ninth was only 20 seconds, and at this level there is a huge points and money gap between these positions. But this is a good benchmark for the season.”

Hawley is still considering the best venue and time for her next race with a number of options still on the triathlon table.

“I am still trying to work out my next race of the season,” Hawley said.

“One of my big goals is to race Yokohama in May, but I might race a Continental Cup before then.

“There are a couple races in Mexico or Miami, so it’s just weighing up the pros and cons of racing versus not racing and choosing the option that sets me up best for Yokohama.

“For most of us, there aren’t many World Cup or WTCS races in March and April so a lot of triathletes will be getting in solid training blocks during this time.”