Oliver Hayward and Olympian Erica Hawley produced dominant displays to win the adult individual sprint races in the Cambridge Beaches Triathlon.

Hayward, fresh from finishing eighth at the World Triathlon Age-Group Championships in Spain, was the first to cross the finish line in 58min 4sec. Closely behind was Hawley in 1:00:19 in her first race since the Paris Olympics.

Jake Smith was runner-up in the men’s competition with Kevin Ronaldson third. Maddie Durkin finished runner-up in the female race, with Lynsey Palmer claiming the last spot on the podium.

Hayward was thrilled to cross the line in front of Hawley, with the two neck and neck for the better part of the race.

“It was really exciting to finish ahead of Erica,’’ the 16-year-old told The Royal Gazette.

“It’s always nice to get those little achievements. It was a really enjoyable race and I enjoyed the swim, I was out of the water with Erica and one of the relay teams.

“It was rough racing out on the road on the bike, but it was nice to race in areas like Dockyard. It feels nice to be comfortable in a race and it’s really rewarding going into the winter.

“The competition was really good, I never had any dull moments. I never took any rest because I knew the other competitors were right behind me.”

In her first race on the island since she took part in the 2022 World Triathlon Championship Series Bermuda, Hawley enjoyed her time racing at home.

“I just wanted to have fun out there in a no-pressure situation,’’ the Olympian said.

“I knew Ollie was going to be hard to beat since he did well at the World Championships. I’m not really used to actually doing 20km on the bike, so this was kind of a shock to my body.

“The bike was super fun and we don’t normally get a chance to race on this side of the island.

“On the run, it was actually kind of hilly. I just tried to maintain the gap between Ollie and I, and run the best way I could.

“I was focused on my own race. I knew there was Ollie and a relay team member ahead of me, so I kept my eyes on those two to keep the gap to a minimum.

“It was nice to come home and get some kind of redemption after I crashed in 2022. To come back and make the most of this race was good.

“It’s always good to come back and remember where you came from. It’s so special as you can see with the number of people here today, I hope I can be an inspiration to some of the people who were out here racing.”

Hawley and fellow Olympian Tyler Smith did go up against each other on the bike leg, with the latter forming part of a team relay alongside his parents, Aaron and Karen.

“Tyler went past me in the latter stages of the bike race right over the bridge,” Hawley said.

“I knew I couldn't even try to keep up with him. It was really special for both of us to be back here and the fact that he could do a relay with his family was really great.”

Hayward, a student at Uppingham School in England, was delighted to close out his racing season on a high note.

“Spain was the main focus, I had an easy preparation coming into this race as I kept things light,’’ he said. “The season is over for me, this was the last race until the British races start in February.

“My future in the sport really depends on what happens in the next few years. I’m planning to go to the World Championships again next year and to a few American races.”

Smith, who is leaving for Guyana with the Bermuda cycling team, covered a lot of ground to help his relay team finish second overall.

“I was really happy that I was able to do a team relay with my family even with my Achilles injury,’’ the 26-year-old said.

“It was tougher just doing the bike because it’s 30 minutes, and you have to go all out for it. On the last lap of the bike, I gave everything that I had to hand over to my mum to finish things off with a run.

“Cambridge Beaches and the Bermuda Triathlon Association did a great job in putting together this race.

“This was the first time I've been here for an event. It’s great to see this venue and I think there’s a lot of possibilities with this race going forward.”

In the boys 7-10 division, brothers Liam and Nolan Horrobin achieved a one-two finish, with Niklas Bock third. In the same age group for girls, Madeleine Friend took the honours, followed by Bethany Davidge and Daisy Cooper.

Dylan Eiselt was first in the boys 11-15 age group ahead of Jacob Wright and Sanchez Smith. Naomi MacGuinness won the girls race and finished fifth overall out of 28 competitors in the age group. Behind her were Sofia Leclerc and Ella Shepherd.

Phil Hospod, the Cambridge Beaches owner, who also competed and finished 40th overall in 1:21:02, spoke of his desire to see the race grow. The second edition of the event had 174 competitors, 40 from the United States and Canada.

“It’s exciting to see the community come together,’’ Hospod said. “When you see a sporting event with different age groups and spectators coming together, it’s very uplifting.

“One of the reasons we want to be a part of this is to give people a reason to come down to the West End, see Cambridge Beaches and experience the beautiful part of this peninsula.

“We are hoping to make this part of the regular schedule. If we can get more locals to participate, but also more international tourists to come and enjoy the beauty that is Bermuda.”