World No 1 Matt Hauser has won the triathlon’s world championship series in Wollongong, ending a 15-year drought for Australia.
Two-time Olympian Hauser never relented across Sunday’s 1.5km swim, 40km cycle, and 10km run event and won gold by a monster 34 seconds on home soil.
The 27-year-old was cheered home by a raucous crowd and finished the gruelling Wollongong course in one hour 42.42 minutes.
Spain’s David Cantero Del Campo claimed silver, while Italian Alessio Crociani was a further seven seconds behind in third.
Hauser, in tears at the finish line, joins Emma Moffatt as the only Australians to win an Olympic-distance world title since the championship became a series in 2009.
The 27-year-old is the first Australian man to win the world series, after Pete Robertson won in 2005 when the world title was decided by a one-off race.
Luke Willian was Australia’s next best male on Sunday, finishing 16th out of the 52 athletes.
Hauser’s biggest threat Miguel Hidalgo, ranked second in the series, was fourth.
Germany’s Lisa Tertsch triumphed in the women’s final as reigning Olympic champion Cassandre Beaugrand failed to finish.
Tertsch finished the race in one hour 56.50 minutes to win her maiden crown.
Italy’s Lisa Seregni finished 14 seconds behind, while France’s Emma Lombardi was a further 12 seconds adrift to claim bronze.
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The women’s series had shaped as a two-horse race between defending champion Beaugrand and Beth Potter, who had entered as equal series leaders on 2925 points.
But a struggling Beaugrand began to tumble down the order early in the run, before Great Britain’s Potter dropped out of contention on lap three of four.
While Beaugrand did not finish the Olympic distance course and dropped to seventh in the standings, Potter finished 16th and is third overall.
Sophie Linn was Australia’s best female and finished 18th out of 39 starters, ahead of teammate Emma Jeffcoat in 29th.
Earlier on Sunday, Lauren Parker clinched another medal after Australia finished second in the Para Mixed Relay, with the USA taking gold.
After claiming her fifth paratriathlon world title the day before, Parker combined with Jack Howell, Jeremy Peacock and Maggie Sandles – with guide Lauren Sprague – to win silver ahead of Brazil.