And if that head belongs to Neil de Ste Croix and the crown is that of Bermuda's king of triathlon, then the guillotine is already being sharpened.

De Ste Croix had another leg kicked out from under his throne yesterday when 14-year-old upstart Tyler Butterfield overpowered a field of 89 in the annual Bank of Bermuda Triathlon.

If de Ste Croix's empire was already wobbly with the emergence of 17-year-old Kris Hedges earlier this year, the threat of Butterfield probably represents a changing of the sport's guard. Even if it means a bloody coup.

"I'm not ready to give up yet,'' laughed de Ste Croix, shortly after crossing the finish line 11 seconds behind Butterfield. Fast-closing Andrew Doble was third, another minute back.

Julia Hawley finished 11th overall to claim the women's title.

For de Ste Croix, defeat was made easier by the fact that, as president of the Bermuda Triathlon Association and co-coach of the Island's junior programme, he has watched Butterfield's development with pride. Yesterday, he even pictured him competing in the 2000 Olympics, when triathlon becomes a fully-fledged medal sport.

If nothing else, Butterfield has the lineage. His mother, Debbie, is a former Island marathon champion and his father, Jim, was one of the Island's first triathletes and founded the BTA 20 years ago.

Jim Butterfield still competes and finished sixth yesterday. But at 47, he acknowledged that his days of whipping his son are now over. "This season, I felt sure he was going to start beating me,'' he said.

The pair still occasionally train together -- mostly morning runs -- but even that's changing now. "He's younger and he recovers a lot faster than I do,'' said Jim.

Yesterday, the pair completed the half-mile swim in just about the same time but once they got on their bikes for the 12-mile cycle, "(Tyler) just took off.'' But he didn't take over, at least not until midway through the first lap of the three-mile run. Dave Cash had used a spectacular swim (nine minutes, five seconds) and solid bike for a 15-second advantage through the final transition only to watch Butterfield, then de Ste Croix and, finally, Doble pass him on the run.

"I didn't think I'd win,'' said Butterfield, who was coming off a pair of victories over top US juniors in the past two weeks. "I figured maybe top three.'' De Ste Croix was nowhere in sight as Butterfield trotted across the finish line in 1:01:34 -- although he did manage to shave more than 20 seconds off his protege's lead.

"Another mile and I think he would've caught me,'' said Butterfield, a student at Saltus Grammar School.

"I needed a couple of miles,'' corrected de Ste Croix. "I think if he had seen me, he would've gone faster.'' The short sprint-distance of the course, centred around Albouy's Point, made for lots of congestion, particularly coming out of Hamilton Harbour and onto the bikes.

That left Butterfield and de Ste Croix near the middle of the pack as they embarked on the technically-demanding cycle course. They were 30 and 40 seconds back of Cash, respectively, going into the final lap, with Jonathan Herring and Kent Richardson placed between them.

That's when Butterfield put the hammer down, passing everyone but Cash.

While de Ste Croix's reign remains tenuous, Hawley did nothing but solidify hers in the continued absence of Shona Palmer. Even if Palmer, suffering from a back injury, returns soon, Hawley, 33, would be tough to beat.

"I really feel like I haven't peaked yet,'' said Hawley, four and a half-year-old daughter Claire by her side. "As I get older, I seem to be training better. It's hard to explain. I can go faster. I know I can go faster.'' Hawley reached her goal of staying within a minute of Laurie Orchard coming out of the water. Then it was only a matter of time. She passed Orchard at the exact half-way point of he cycle and picked up the pace in the run, her time of 1:06:04 just missing out on her other goal, a top ten finish.

GOING STRONG -- Julia Hawley says she's getting better with age and proved it during the annual Bank of Bermuda Triathlon.

Photos by Tony Cordeiro CHANGING OF THE GUARD -- Former winner Neil de ste Croix congratulates new champion 14-year-old Tyler Butterfield after yesterday's Bank of Bermuda Triathlon.