Tyler Smith continued his strong start to the new season with another top-five finish in the Africa Triathlon Premium Cup.

After finishing fourth in the season-opener in Maselspoort and fifth in Nelson Mandela Bay, the 24-year-old continued his good form when he came fifth in the Troutbeck race in Zimbabwe.

Competing in a strong Elite Male division, the Bermudian crossed the line in a time of 1hr 2min 8sec, slightly less than 90 seconds adrift of race winner James Edgar, of Ireland. He exited the water from the 750-metre swim in a time of 9:38, clocked 34:21on the 20.34km bike course and closed out with a time of 16:38 over the 5K run distance.

Dylan Nortje, of South Africa, claimed second place in a time of 1:01:11, with Mexico’s Jorge Alarcon Familiar completing the podium places in 1:01:52.

For Smith, who also finished 13th in an event in Swakopmund, Namibia at the end of March, it was a positive way to finish off the Africa Triathlon Cup series – essentially the third tier of elite-level racing – as he continues to try to boost his world-ranking points and ultimately enhance his Olympic qualification prospects.

“It’s been an incredible racing tour of Southern Africa,” said Smith. “Really enjoying the style and vibe of the racing here. All the events have been well organised and it’s been good fun racing a lot of the same athletes week after week.”