January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
Butterfield "thrilled" with Olympic qualification
TUESDAY, MAY 29: Tyler Butterfield said he was “confident” that he would qualify for the 2012 London Olympics.
Butterfield and Flora Duffy will represent Bermuda in triathlon — the first time the island has had two triathletes at the same games. Both Butterfield and Duffy have represented Bermuda in triathlon at the Olympics with Butterfield in 2004 in Athens while Duffy did it in Beijing in 2008.
Butterfield finished 25th at the ITU Madrid race and is ranked 45th of the 55 men going to the London Games.
He said: “I went into Madrid somewhat fatigued, having ramped up my training in the prior weeks knowing that I would likely make the Olympic team.
“While I always want to bring my best to each start line, I also have to keep my eye on the big picture goal, and the timing now is critical in terms of the work I need to put in for London.
“I continued training heading into the final qualification race, but made sure that my race day effort was enough to solidify my Olympic spot. I’m thrilled that I was able to make the team, and hopefully my strategic plan and training programme will pay off at the Game.
“While I was fairly confident I would get the job done, you never know until you reach the finish line and the final rankings are confirmed.
“And although I had anticipated that moment, nothing quite prepares you for the emotion of being told, officially, that you’re an Olympian.
“It’s pretty overwhelming — and pretty wonderful. I’m honoured to represent Bermuda and I hope to use my experience from Athens, paired with a solid season of training and racing, to put forth my finest performance to date.”
Butterfield will now return to his U.S. home in Boulder, Colorado to focus on the final nine weeks of preparation for London and to revel in the support of his family, wife Nikki and daughter Savana.
His programme includes racing the Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon on June 24 and potentially the Dextro Energy Triathlon Hamburg (an ITU World Triathlon Series race) on July 21.
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