Lynsey Elliott led home the Manx contingent in the triathlon events on the first day of action at this year’s NatWest Island Games in Gotland.

The Douglas triathlete claimed a fine sixth place finish in the women’s triathlon which was the first medal event of the 2017 Games in Sweden.

Elliott was safely in the middle of the pack exiting the first discipline, the open water swim at Wisby Strand in the old town of Visby.

There was initial confusion over the length of the swim as officials debated how to best address the strong winds and tempestuous conditions, with organisers eventually deciding on a 400m swim as opposed to the usual 1,500m.

That failed to deter fellow Manxie Hannah Howitt who stormed into an early lead and was clearly first out of the water, some 26 seconds ahead of next best Lyndsey Henderson of the Shetland Islands.

Unfortunately it all went wrong for Howitt during the four-lap cycle ride along the coast as she went down rounding a corner at the 5km mark after suffering technical problems with her bike. Thankfully she was relatively unhurt.

For Elliott though, she produced a strong ride and was sitting inside the top six heading into the second transition prior to the two-lap run around Visby featuring a steep climb plus cobbled sections.

The Manxwoman was able to hold firm throughout the run and, buoyed on by vociferous Isle of Man support around the course, crossed the line to triumphantly claim a top-six finish.

Recovered from her earlier tumble, Howitt joined Elliott to cheer on the Manx men’s team in their triathlon, with Andy Nash and Joe Ricciardi expected to lead the local charge.

The latter man enjoyed a good swim and was one of the leaders heading into T1 but the tall triathlete suffered a fall on the uneven track and, by the end of the first transition, Nash had leapfrogged him in the standings.

Behind them Juan Kinley, Paul Swindale and Ryan Downey were also faring well, the latter producing the quickest transition of the entire field in only 33 seconds on his Island Games debut.

Nash and Ricciardi continued to enjoy a decent battle on the bike despite the strong headwinds on the return journey down the coast and back into the town.

Ricciardi was just over half a minute quicker than his team-mate over the four laps but, with Nash’s favourite discipline still to come, he was expected to close that gap.

There was drama for Nash during the two-lap run as, within the closing metres of the first lap, the 28-year-old pulled up suddenly with cramp and looked set to withdraw.

However, the Manxman dug deep and carried on, finishing strongly over the second lap to cross the line in a fine 12th place in a total time of one hour 52 minutes and 12.8 seconds.

Despite exiting the water in 51st place, Kinley produced a typically strong effort on the bike - ninth fastest overall - to move up the field. A solid run ensued and, as he entered the final straight, the Games veteran produced a burst to the line to edge past Jersey’s Nick Thorne to claimed an impressive 19th place.

Ricciardi recovered from a collision to produce a good finish of his own and eventually crossed the line in 27th place, while Downey ended his first Games with a pleasing 34th overall, seven places ahead of his team-mate Swindale.

Photographs and reaction in Tuesday’s Isle of Man Examiner.