Erica Hawley heads to Miami to compete in her second race of 2025 on Friday.

Hawley, who picked up a special recognition award at the 43rd annual Sports Awards on Sunday night after taking part in the triathlon at the Olympic Games in Paris last year, is one of 71 elite women suiting up for the 2025 Americas Triathlon Cup at the Homestead Miami Speedway.

The race, which takes place at 11am Bermuda time, affords Hawley the chance of a podium finish as she will enter the water with the fourth-highest world ranking in the field.

As it stands Hawley is rated 85th in the world, just one spot behind Mexican Mercedes Romero Orozco, who is third-best in the field.

While it is shaping up to be a tight race to make it on to the last step of the podium, the first two positions appear to be locked in if the 750 metres swim, the 20km bike and the 5K run go according to form.

One of triathlon’s most famous names, Gwen Jorgensen, is the pre-race favourite to add to her glittering CV. The 38-year-old, who won a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, is a previous world No 1 but is now ranked twelfth. Her last win at this level came in Japan in November, when she won the World Triathlon Cup Miyazaki.

Hawley will also be hoping to keep tabs on Gina Sereno, who is ranked 23rd in the world. The American won this event in Long Beach in 2022 and finished twelfth in the Pan American Games in Chile in 2023, eight places behind Hawley who finished a fantastic fourth.

The Bermudian knows what it takes to win at this level after coming out on top in the Americas Triathlon Cup in Montreal in July 2023. In the same year she also finished on the podium at the inaugural World Triathlon Cup Yeongdo in South Korea.