Australian triathlete Jake Birtwhistle has stormed into second place in the world title race with a barnstorming bronze in Montreal.
The 23-year-old ran down South African Richard Murray in the final 250 metres to finish third in 1hr 48min 28sec behind Spanish winner Mario Mola and Norway's Kristian Blumenfelt.
Birtwhistle, who clocked the second-fasted 10km run,, has made a habit of chasing down his rivals this year after a blistering final leg secured silver at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
"I'm really happy with my race today," the Tasmanian told TriathlonLIVE TV after securing his third podium of the World Triathlon Series (WTS) season.
"It was quite an aggressive swim and bike, and I was able to stay up there where I needed to be.
"I was able to stay engaged through the middle stages and not lose too much time and thankfully ... on that last lap and was able to still bring it back."
In the second last round of the 2018 WTS, Mola rallied for his fourth win and third in a row.
He caught Blumenfelt in the final kilometre of the run leg after trailing him by more than a minute after the bike leg.
The come-from-behind victory takes the Spaniard 824 points clear of Birtwhistle, who leapfrogged Frenchman Vincent Luis into second on the standings.
But Mola hasn't quite sewn up a third-straight world title heading into the grand final on the Gold Coast in mid-September.
"I know that it is very close but until I cross the finish line I won't be given anything for sure," the 28-year-old told the WTS website.
Birtwhistle is poised to become the first Australian male to finish on the WTS podium since Brad Kahlefeldt in 2010 if he produces on home soil.
Fellow Australians Aaron Royal (20th) and Brandon Copeland (34th) finished down the order of the 48-man field in Montreal.
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