Canada's Tyler Mislawchuk claims World Triathlon Cup silver in thrilling Edmonton finish

Canada's Tyler Mislawchuk delivered a gutsy performance in front of a home crowd on Saturday, sprinting to a silver medal at the World Triathlon Cup in Edmonton after an electrifying four-athlete dash to the finish line.

The 31-year-old from Oak Bluff, Man., crossed the line in 52 minutes 20 seconds, finishing just 0.01 seconds behind Great Britain's Solomon Okrafo-Smart. American Reese Vannerson completed the podium in 3rd.

Mislawchuk exited the 750-metre swim in sixth before joining a lead group of 17 riders on the 20-kilometre bike course through Edmonton's river valley.

Despite battling the day's intense heat, Mislawchuk remained in contention throughout the run before launching his final sprint to secure the silver medal by the slimmest of margins.

“We put on a good show. That’s about as good as it gets. There are so many guys so close in triathlon right now,” said Mislawchuk after picking himself up at the finish line. “I would have loved to have won at home but that’s the sport – seconds here and there. But anytime you are on a podium, it’s pretty darn good. I can’t complain.”

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The podium marked the 10th World Triathlon Cup medal of Mislawchuk's career.

Fellow Canadian Martin Sobey of Charlottetown, P.E.I., also turned in a strong performance, finishing 7th in 52:29.

In the women's race, Beatrice Filion was the top Canadian, finishing 10th in 1:00:33. Teammate Maïra Carreau also finished close behind in 12th.

Olympic silver medallist Taylor Knibb dominated the women's competition, winning in 58:36 ahead of Hungary's Marta Kropko and Italy's Paola Sacchi.