Bermuda’s brightest young triathlon talents produced some top performances in the United States last weekend.

Twenty-three young Bermuda athletes showed off their skills at the Clermont Draft Legal Challenge in Florida against competitors from across the United States, Canada and the Caribbean, with Jacob Wright, Sanchez Smith, Gianluca Bortoli, Dylan Eiselt and Carina Bortoli all recording notable top-ten finishes.

Jamie Bedford and Ollie Hayward competed in the highly competitive under-25 national triathlon development race for promising young athletes aiming for elite status, with both producing strong bike and run legs.

Carifta gold medal winner Bedford, finished 34th of the 78 participants, crossing the line in a time of 1hr 02min and 09sec, while Hayward, one of the youngest triathletes in action, came home 54th.

Bortoli raced in the Age Group Draft Legal women’s race and showed her running prowess by finishing the race in fifth position in her age group. Bedford and Bortoli combined on Sunday in the Mixed Team Relay, in which male and female athletes raced over a shorter course. The Bermuda duo finished in 35th position.

The Youth Race on Saturday featured 20 Bermuda triathletes of both sexes competing among a massive field of 88 triathletes. Luca Bortoli was the first finisher from the island in seventh with Sanchez Smith chasing him home in eighth. Ella Shepherd finished thirteenth among the girls.

Jacob Wright showed exceptional determination in the Youth Boys race on Sunday, coming out of the water in the top group and leading for much of the bike leg.

A gutsy run saw him finish the race in fifth position in a time of 34:26. Wright was closely followed by a slew of Bermudians with Sanchez Smith finishing eighth, Dylan Eiselt tenth, Jens Drea eleventh, Rory Shepherd in twelfth and Gianluca Bortoli in thirteenth. In the girls race, Ella Shepherd was the first Bermuda athlete across the line, finishing the race in 38.56 in 16th position, while Kelise Wade was next home in 27th and Sofia LeClerc finishing 31st.

Neil de ste Croix, national youth triathlon coach was round of the team’s performance.

“Our success in the Clermont Draft Legal Challenge is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and resilience of each team member,” he said.

“We faced a tough field of competitors and each team member gave it their all. This weekend’s success not only represents our individual achievements but also highlights the strength of Bermuda's triathlon community."

The other members of the Bermuda team were Elenor Bortoli, Lucas Bule, Zara Bule, Makao Butterfield, Isla Cooze, Spencer Haldeman, Ollie Hayward, Jasper Lau, Jacob Leclerc, Riana Robinson, Rohan Roopra and Dominic Wright