Erica Hawley placed thirteenth in the Americas’ Cup Elite Sprint Triathlon in Clermont, Florida, at the weekend.

Hawley was unsure she would be able to compete after picking up a stomach bug in Barbados, where she placed second at the CamTri Sprint Triathlon American Cup and Central American and Caribbean Championship this month.

She finished her race yesterday in 1hr 5min 29sec, with splits of 11min 02sec, 33:52 and 19:33 for an overall time of 1:05:29. The race was won by Erika Ackerlund, of the United States, in 1:02:47.

Hawley, who is based in Tucson, Arizona, said she felt nauseous after a “brutal swim”.

She said: “The swim to the first buoy was brutal. I didn’t have that start speed that I needed and just got pounded, and felt like I was drowning.

“I couldn’t tell exactly where I was in the pack, but I knew I wasn’t in the top three.

“However, I didn’t let the affect me and told myself onwards and upwards — just focus on the process. I biked the first ten kilometres solo and feeling nauseous.”

Hawley, who will compete at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, Australia, next month, said she was proud of her result.

“I got in a pack eventually by waiting up,” she said. “Not first to dismount, but first to my shoes and first out, so that’s good.

“It was hot and I knew I had strong runners in my pack and that they would get away from me.

“However, I still managed to run a few girls down, which felt good, and I just focused on chasing one girl at a time in front of me.

“Considering where I was coming into the race, I’m really proud of thirteenth. I thought I was going to be around 20th after the swim.”