Erica Hawley: Goal Is ‘To Race At Top Potential’
[Written by Stephen Wright]
Erica Hawley believes she has grown beyond recognition as a triathlete since she first stepped up to the elite level at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, Australia, four years ago.
Hawley was only 19 years old at those Games, where she finished an impressive sixteenth in the individual race and helped Bermuda to a superb fifth-place in the mixed team relay.
She arrives in Birmingham for her second Commonwealth campaign in stellar form after achieving her first podium in the elite Continental Cup, coming third at the recent Americas Triathlon Cup Long Beach in California.
“Competing on the Gold Coast was one of the greatest weeks of my life,” Hawley told Bernews. “I’m a completely different athlete and person now. I’m training full-time and no longer an under-23 athlete.
“I’m feeling great after my first podium in Long Beach. It was the perfect confidence booster ahead of the Commonwealth Games.
“My year has gone well so far. Each race had a different purpose. I’m reaching my peak fitness right now.
“I raced in Mexico in a World Cup race and got my first points in this Olympic cycle to try and qualify for Paris [in 2024], and my most recent race was more of a test run ahead of Birmingham.”
The 24-year-old said her goal is to race to her full potential in Birmingham and show she can mix it with elite-level triathletes when she competes in the individual race on Friday.
“Competing at major games is so important for athletes, and it is a great way to experience racing at the highest level and [enjoy] the village-life balance,” said Hawley, who spent last week in Boulder, Colorado, putting the final touches to her preparations for Birmingham.
“I hope to race to the best of my ability and to achieve my process goals during the race.
“The standard of the Games is extremely high, and I will be racing some of the best.”
Hawley joins Flora Duffy, Tyler Butterfield and Tyler Smith in Bermuda’s mixed relay team and believes their bond as a team has strengthened since the Gold Coast.
“We hope to match or improve our result [on the Gold Coast],” she added. “We are all so excited for this race, and I think our camaraderie is even stronger now.”
All the best and what a great attitude to carry. You have this.