EMMA-KATE Lidbury’s hopes of qualifying for the 70.3 World Championships in Las Vegas received a boost following her latest outing in Switzerland.

The Swindon triathlete, who won the Ironman 70.3 Majorca last month, finished in eighth place which puts her inside the top 20 in the world, with the top 30 making it to Nevada.

After a strong swim, covering the 1.2 miles in 24:57, Lidbury was second out on the bike, and the 56-mile course, which involved a 900m climb around the Rapperswil-Jona area, was a tough one.

The 31-year-old posted a 2:30:23 split to enter the second transition in fourth place, and she then ran the half-marathon in 1:31:27, which saw her cross the line in 4:29:23.

“It was a tough race, I never really felt in top form but enjoyed it nonetheless,” said Lidbury.

“Next up for me is 70.3 UK in Wimbleball (Exmoor), which is less than two weeks away, so I’m focusing on speedy recovery before getting back into race mode.

“The Wimbleball race is my home race, so I’d like to perform at my very best there.”