Canadian triathlete Paula Findlay finishes second in World Cup race
Edmonton's Paula Findlay earns first podium finish in six years
Edmonton triathlete Paula Findlay won the silver medal at an ITU World Cup race on Sunday.
Findlay finished in a time of one hour 55 minutes 30 seconds to earn her first podium finish in nearly six years.
She finished in the middle of the pack in the swim to open the race, but rebounded with a strong time in the bike. The run ended up as a showdown between Findlay and Nicola Spirig, with the 2012 Olympic champion from Switzerland eventually pulling ahead to win by nine seconds.
Katrien Verstuyft of Belgium finished third.
Findlay was once the top-ranked woman triathlete in the world, but has battled injuries over the past five years.
She made her return to elite-level racing last month at the ITU Grand Final in Edmonton. It was her first Olympic-distance race since the 2012 London Games.
With only six weeks of quality training prior to the Olympics, Findlay crossed the finish line last in London and gave a tearful apology to Canada. Olympic gold and silver medallist Simon Whitfield criticized her support team the following day for their handling of Findlay's situation.