Triathlete Jackson in great Games form
Emma Jackson has highlighted her Commonwealth Games gold medal prospects with a brilliant finish for second in the triathlon world series sprint race in Hamburg, Germany.
The pint-sized Queenslander dug deep to best Canada's Kirsten Sweetland in a photo finish for the minor places, six seconds behind dominant American Gwen Jorgensen, who became the first person to win four world series races in a row.
It was a perfect hit out for London Olympian Jackson, just two weeks before the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, her priority race this year.
"Emma was fantastic and timed her run perfectly after pacing herself through the bike," said Triathlon Australia's performance director Bernard Savage.
"She should be even better when the time comes to race in Glasgow."
Jackson's silver medal came after she placed third in the London round last month.
However, there was concern when Jackson's Games teammate Emma Moffat withdrew early in the run, complaining of breathing difficulties, having suffered a fall from her bike while training in Hamburg during the week.
"Emma had a small fall and suffered a bruised calf and ribs which may have had something to do with her breathing," said Savage.
"It certainly isn't something she has had any problems with in the past so it could well be connected with the fall - we'll check it out."
The third Games team women's competitor Ashleigh Gentle produced an encouraging race to finish 10th in her first major competition for several months while Olympic bronze medallist Erin Densham was 51st in her first ITU race of the year.
In the men's event, Australia's most consistent male of the past two years, Aaron Royle, finished 11th in a helter-skelter finish.
The good news for Royle is he was the third Commonwealth Games athlete to finish the race, which was won by Britain's Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee.
The favourite for gold in Glasgow, Brownlee charged to victory ahead of Vincent Luis of France and his brother, Jonathan Brownlee.
Dan Wilson, who will join Royle on the Glasgow start line, was 27th.
Australia's third Games athlete, Ryan Bailie, had a timing chip failure but team officials believe he finished in the second half of the field.
