Jones turned in his best-ever finish at a World Cup event, placing fourth at the Richards Bay BG Triathlon in South Africa Sunday. The Oakville native was just 11 seconds behind the winner, the reigning world champion Daniel Unger of Germany.

"I knew that kind of performance has been there all along," Jones said Wednesday from Victoria. "It was just a matter of putting it all together on one day."

The fourth-place finish meets the first qualifying criteria for the Canadian team that will compete at the Olympics. He can now secure a spot by placing in the top eight at the World Triathlon Championships, which will be held June 8 in Vancouver.

The Canadian squad should have an advantage for that race. The team is based in nearby Victoria so it will be able to enjoy the comforts of home leading up to the race.

"It's a nice treat," said Jones, who in the past six weeks has raced in Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and South Africa. "We spend most of the year traveling, dealing with time changes, different cultures, different foods."

The 2003 Canadian junior champion could still end up in Beijing without the top-eight finish, though. The top eight countries in the world are allowed to send three athletes -- Canada is currently ranked fifth.

Simon Whitfield, the gold medalist from the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, has locked up one of those places. If there are no other Canadians in the top eight at worlds, Triathlon Canada would then select the remaining two.

Jones and teammate Paul Tichelaar would appear to have the inside track as they are the only two who have met the first criteria based on World Cup results. But Colin Jenkins and Pan Am Games silver medalist Brent McMahon are also strong contenders.

Jones would prefer not to have to go that route, though.

"Definitely, it would be nice to have my fate in my own hands," he said.

Jones' previous best at a World Cup was a seventh-place finish in Corner Brook in 2006. Though he didn't crack the top-10 last year, he capped the year by narrowly missing a medal and finishing fourth at the Pan Am Games.

The 23-year-old said gains in the swim convinced him a breakthrough was on the horizon.

"It has definitely gone up a level and I've worked hard at it the last couple of years," he said. "I used to always be in the second pack in the water but now I'm in the main group. The run has always been my strength but when you're two minutes down, you can pick up a couple of places but you're not going to be able to get a top result."