Fifth place finish in China boosts Irish triathlete's Olympic hopes

Triathlete Bryan Keane was looking for a big result at the Chengdu World Cup in China and delivered just that with a brilliant fifth place finish.

The Cork man posted a solid mid-pack swim, exiting the 1,500 metre dip in under 19 minutes.

The opening leg set him up perfectly for the 40 kilometre bike where Keane remained well positioned throughout the six laps.

With a large pack entering the second transition together it was set to be a hard fought 10 kilometre run as a dozen athletes remained in contention for the podium.

Australian Ryan Fisher went on to claim his second World Cup victory in a time of 1:46:07, sprinting clear of the group over the final 100 meters of the race.

Keane posted a 31:23, 10k run split to finish 5th in a time of 1:46:21, just nine seconds off the podium.

The result is a welcome boast for Keane as he continues his bid to gain qualification for the Rio 2016 Olympics.

The next stop for Keane is the Yokohama World Series race on May 16 where he will hope to continue his good form.

Fellow Irish triathlete Russell White didn't finish the race after a mechanical issue during the bike section.