Top Zimbabwean triathlete Chris Felgate moved a step closer towards securing a place at the London Olympic Games after finishing sixth at the 2012 Ilheus ITU Triathlon Pan American Cup in Bahia, Brazil on Saturday.

The good finish took Felgate, who is seeking a second appearance at the Olympics further clear of his rivals in the Olympic qualification race.

Felgate crossed the finishing line 1 hour 53:54 minutes in a race dominated by Argentines Luciano Taccone and Gonzalo Raul Tellechea, who finished first and second respectively.

Gregory Billington and Ethan Brown, both from the USA finished third and fourth respectively while Colombia’s Carlos Javier Forero came fifth.

Felgate was the only African triathlete who took part in the Ilheus ITU Triathlon Pan American Cup which attracted 23 triathletes from Ecuador, Ireland, United States, Argentina, Brazil and Colombia.

His decent display in Brazil came hard on the heels of another impressive display at the ITU African Triathlon Championships in Mauritius where he won a bronze medal.

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The third place overall finish saw Felgate return to the top of the Olympic qualifying standings for Africa as his arch-rival Mhedi Elsadiq from Morocco crumbled under the weight of a devastating performance from Felgate.