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Colorado Springs resident and USA Triathlon National Team member Sarah Haskins won gold Sunday at the Pan American Games in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Haskins earned the fifth all-time Pan Am Games triathlon gold medal for the U.S. in 1 hour, 57 minutes, 37 seconds.  The course comprised a 1,500-meter swim, 40-kilometer bike and 10-kilometer run.

Silver went to Barbara Riveros Diaz of Chile, while Brazil's Pamela Nascimento Oliveira earned bronze.

Manuel Huerta, of Miami, Fla., who finished in 1:48:09, was edged by 7 seconds in the final 200 meters of the run by gold medalist Reinaldo Colucci of Brazil.  Canada's Brent McMahon was third.

Haskins earned a spot at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

"This was my last race of the season, so it's awesome just to end on a high note," Haskins said, especially with the overall victory for Team USA.

Haskins said she tried to build a comfortable lead through the bike and swim in case she wasn't feeling as strong as she'd like for the run, but she opened a 55-second lead on Oliveira after one lap.

All three U.S. men – Huerta and Matt Chrabot and Mark Fretta, both of Colorado Springs – joined the lead pack on the first lap of the bike.

A pack of 17 cyclists stuck together for most of the ride.

"I gave everything I had, so when I go to sleep tonight I know that it was 110 percent," Huerta said.  "My teammates did 200 percent, and I think they even sacrificed their races to get me that podium spot."

Chrabot finished 10th in 1:50:58, and Fretta took 23rd in 1:56:08.

Read more about the triathlon and see how the competitors placed at coloradotriathlete.com