SASI triathlete Sophie Linn has come away with a medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, anchoring her team to a bronze in the Mixed Team Relay.

The 27-year-old was joined by fellow Aussies Matt Hauser, Natalie Van Coevorden and Jacob Birtwhistle to claim a podium position.

It was a come from behind effort from the team who dropped to sixth place halfway through the race but were brought back to third by Hauser and Linn – ultimately finishing with a time of 01:17:29, only 3 seconds behind second placed Wales.

In a dramatic end, Linn collapsed at the finish line from exhaustion in the final sprint after battling it out against Wales’ Non Stanford.

“There was three of us vying for two positions (when they got off the bike) so there is a lot of pressure coming off the bike knowing there’s only two spots, but I knew I was going to give it everything,” Linn said.

“It was not so much pressure (knowing you would win) second or third definitely. Non has a lot of fans out there, a lot of ‘Go Nons’ and we really battled up the back stretch.

“I thought maybe I could get her in the last little bit because we battled it out on Friday the same way, but she was just all class and really strong, so I am happy to bring it home for third.”

This result adds another medal to the team’s collection off the back of earning a silver at the World Series in Hamburg last month.

In her Commonwealth Games debut, Linn also starred in the Women’s Individual Triathlon, narrowly missing out on a podium place to take out fifth after putting in a mammoth effort in each leg.

Prior to her Games stint, the South Australian contemplated walking away from the sport after rupturing her Achilles tendon at a race in Long Beach, California, which rendered her unable to run last year.

“It took a super long time for that to heal, a lot of rehab, a lot of patience and my coach Danielle has been fantastic,” Linn said.

“My boyfriend in the US, Alexey Vermuelen has given me nothing but unwavering support, and my family and my sport network have been fantastic, and SASI (South Australian Institute of Sport). 

“Everyone brought me to the line today to do my absolute best.”

It’s an incredible effort from Linn to have achieved so much in small amount of time, given she only started up in the sport four years ago.