It is her first Commonwealth Games medal, and comes two days after she placed ninth in the women’s race. She was the second Australian over the line in that race – good enough to earn her a spot in the mixed team relay alongside Jacob Birtwhistle, Ashleigh Gentle and Matthew Hauser.

Backhouse told The Leader after the women’s race that she was unsure if she would be picked for the relay, saying tactics would be factored in when selecting the team.

On the Southport course, Australia beat England by 52 seconds, with New Zealand a further minute behind. The Aussies clocked one hour, 17 minutes and 36 seconds, with the legs consisting of a 250 metre swim, a seven kilometre bike and a 1.5km run.

Backhouse and Hauser opened the relay for Australia. But it was Gentle, disappointed with her fifth place in the women’s race, who provided the hosts with a 39-second lead going into the final leg.

And then Birtwhistle, second in the men’s race on Thursday, increased the margin as England's two-time Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee’s vainly gave chase.

After the women’s race on Thursday, Backhouse, the former under-23 duathlon world champion, said: “Given the way the race panned out today, I’m really happy with it. I really couldn't have asked any more of myself. I'm happy, and it’s a good first major-games performance for me.”

She is obviously feeling even better now.