Wanaka triathlete Nicky Samuels will need a good performance in Yokohama next month if she is to secure an Olympic berth.
The 33-year-old is on the comeback trail following injury setbacks and had hoped for an improved showing at the world series event in Cape Town during the weekend.
A top-three finish would have booked a ticket to Rio, while a top-eight placing might have been enough for the selectors to give her the nod. But Samuels had a disappointing final leg and finished well down the field in 30th place.
She could not be reached for comment but last week told the Otago Daily Times she was ‘‘in desperate need of some good-quality racing''.
She had raced only twice since August 2014, finishing 20th at the world series event on the Gold Coast earlier this month and 20th in Abu Dhabi in March.
It has been her running that she has struggled the most with and that proved the case again in Cape Town.
Samuels was still in touch with eventual winner Non Standford after the swim and cycle leg but faded on the run. She was 1min 43sec slower than the Welsh athlete.
Rebecca Spence was the best of the New Zealanders. She claimed 13th place, while Simone Ackermann had to settle for 31st.
If Samuels does not improve her form at the world series event in Yokohama in three weeks, it might be the end of her Olympic dream.
However, her impressive performances before her injury could well be enough to get her on the plane to Rio.
