Helen Jenkins forced to settle for triathlon silver in Chicago

Britain's Helen Jenkins had to settle for silver in the latest leg of the ITU World Triathlon series in Chicago.

The Welsh athlete was leading by a minute going into the run but was overtaken on the final lap by series leader Gwen Jorgensen of the USA.

"I knew she was catching me and, because it was so hot and humid, I was just trying to keep myself together," Jenkins said.

In the men's race, sole British representative Adam Bowden was seventh.

It was the fifth time the Loughborough-based 31-year-old has finished in the top 10 and moved him to 14th in the series rankings.

Olympic silver medallist Javier Gomez of Spain, won the event, in the absence of fellow London 2012 medallists Jonathan and Alistair Brownlee, to extend his lead in the series.

Another British absentee, Jodie Stimpson, slipped behind Jenkins into third place in the overall standings after missing the Chicago event.

The English athlete now trails her Welsh rival after opting to stay at home to continue her Commonwealth Games preparations.

Both are expected to compete in the next ITU event - in Hamburg on 12 and 13 July - before their Glasgow 2014 head-to-head.

And Jenkins will travel to Germany buoyed by a strong showing in the United States.

The 30-year-old was among the lead group following a strong swim and pushed the pace for much of the cycling leg.

However, she could not open a big enough gap on Jorgensen to prevent the American overtaking her on the run.

"We tried to keep pushing," said Jenkins. "It's a really tough course to keep a group working because there are so many dead turns."

It was the third podium finish of the season for Jenkins, while Jorgensen's win was a record sixth in the women's series.

ITU World Triathlon Series rankings:

Women:

1. Gwen Jorgensen (US) 3,424 points

2. Helen Jenkins (GB) 2,666

3. Jodie Stimpson (GB) 2,396

Selected:

22. Vicky Holland (GB) 837

32. Lucy Hall (GB) 534

46 Katie Hewison (GB) 314

71 Natalie Milne (GB) 52

Men

1. Javier Gomez Noya (Spa) 3742 points

2. MarioMola (Spa) 3322

3. Jonathan Brownlee (GB) 2652

11. Aaron Harris (GB) 1333

12. Alistair Brownlee (GB) 1266

14. Adam Bowden (GB) 1160

23. Grant Sheldon (GB) 653

41. Gordon Benson (GB) 362

43. Matthew Sharp (GB) 330

76. Thomas Bishop (GB) 97

92. MarkBuckingham (GB) 45