Compatriot, 18-year-old Hollie Avil from Northampton , the 2007 European and World Junior Champion as part of the Corus Great Britain team, finished fourth having held third position for much of the run.

 

Both British triathletes met the Olympic Games selection criteria by finishing in the top eight positions.

 

The Britons led out of the water with Bridgend’s Tucker first, Scotland ’s Kerry Lang second and 2004 Olympian Jodie Swallow third.

 

A lead pack of four managed to break away in the early stages of the bike and only Tucker and Avil were able to hold the pace of reigning World Champion, Vanessa Fernandes from Portugal and Switzerland ’s Danielle Ryf.

 

With a 2min 30sec lead coming into second transition the top four positions were never in doubt and Tucker ran strongly to pick up silver with Avil an impressive fourth in only her third World Cup race.

 

Tucker, 24, said: “I can’t believe it.

 

"After my injury problems I wasn’t able to do much hard running but I just felt awesome out there today.

 

"I tried not to think about finishing in the top eight but coming down the final straight and realising there was no-one behind me was incredible.

 

"I’m looking forward to an exciting summer."

 

Avil said: “Helen and I just held it together on the bike with Fernandes and we did it the hard way.

 

"I’ve made the Olympic selection criteria so we’ll wait to see when they announce the team but I fully expect to be on that pontoon in Beijing .”

 

The race was won by Fernandes.

 

Alistair Brownlee, the 20-year-old 2006 world junior triathlon champion from Leeds, ran his way to third place, holding off the challenge of Tim Don in the closing stages to stand on the second World Cup podium of his career.

 

Don, the 2006 world champion, finished strongly, coming across the line in fourth with Will Clarke in sixth.

 

All of the six British athletes made the front bike pack, however monsoon conditions whittled the number down to three as Olly Freeman and Andrew Johns retired from the race and Stuart Hayes was forced out having picked up two successive punctures.

 

Once on the run Spain ’s Javier Gomez delighted home crowds by storming to victory whilst Brownlee battled with Russia ’s Ivan Vasiliev for second. Brownlee,

 

Don and Clarke met the British Triathlon Olympic selection criteria which required a top eight finish.

 

Britain already qualified the maximum allocation of three slots for the starting pontoon in Beijing .

 

Brownlee said : “I’m totally over the moon.

 

"I had a really bad start to the year with injury so when I hit the run today I just gave everything I had and surprisingly I felt easy and relaxed.

 

"To finish on the podium is a great result.”

 

Don said: “The race was pretty crazy when the rain came pelting down; it was like being up Ben Nevis.

 

"My win at the Corus Elite Series race in Reading last weekend gave me a great platform to work off today and I felt good when I hit the run and just battled through as best I could.

 

"To come down the finish straight in fourth was a huge relief.”

 

Clarke said: “I was just so relieved to cross the line in sixth and meet the selection criteria.

 

"This race had been on my mind since the start of the year so it’s a great feeling to have given everything and to have got the result I wanted.”