Britain's Alistair Brownlee took the 2009 triathlon World Championship Series, after winning the Grand Final on Australia's Gold Coast on Saturday.
The 21-year-old, who went into the final with a 351-point lead, sprinted the final 500m of the run to beat his main rival Javier Gomez by six seconds.
The final was worth 1,200 points and Leeds-born Brownlee needed only a top-five finish to secure the championship.
"It's absolutely amazing. I couldn't have asked for anything more," he said.
"Every athlete in every race wants to win and I really wanted to win the world title.
"I was going to give it everything and I was delighted with how the race went."
Brownlee, the former junior and under-23 world champion, finished in an official time of 1 hour, 44 minutes and 51 seconds.
Gomez was second, while Beijing Olympic gold medallist Jan Frodeno of Germany finished third.
"That run leg nearly killed me," said Brownlee, who has won four of the seven World Championship Series events this year.
"I just went on and on and at the end went for it."
The race - held in perfect temperatures of about 20C (68F) at the tourist resort - included a 1.5-kilometre swim leg in the Nerang River, a 40-kilometre cycle route and a 10-kilometre run.
 Brownlee is exhausted as he crosses the line for victory |
Brownlee clinched the overall title with 4,400 points - 800 from each of his previous series wins and the 1,200 for the final.
Gomez was second overall with 3,959, followed by Saturday's fourth-placed finisher, Maik Petzold of Germany, with 3,442 and Frodeno in fourth overall with 3,162.
Brownlee's fellow Britons Will Clarke and Tim Don finished the race in 11th and 16th respectively.
Brownlee's younger brother Jonathan, 19, could make it a family double if he wins the junior men's title on Sunday, which would also secure a British double in the junior events following Hollie Avil's success on Friday.
Meanwhile, Australian Emma Moffatt, the Beijing Olympic bronze medallist and winner of three world championship events this year, is one of the favourites in the elite women's race on Sunday.
Britain's Helen Jenkins, the reigning world champion, starts the race sixth in the standings and has an outside chance of retaining her crown.
Moffatt has 3,140 points in the standings with Sweden's Lisa Norden second with 3,020 and Andrea Hewitt of New Zealand third with 2,766.
Daniela Ryf of Switzerland, American Sarah Haskins and Japan's Juri Ide also have hopes of winning the title.
Australian Emma Snowsill, the Beijing Olympics gold medallist, is not competing as she continues her recovery from hip surgery.
ITU World Championship Series rankings
Men's 2009 Overall Title:
1st Alistair Brownlee (GB) 4,400 pts
2nd Javier Gomez (ESP) 3,959
3rd Maik Petzold (GER) 3,442
4th Jan Frodeno (GER) 3,162
5th S Justus (GER) 3,139
Women:
1st Emma Moffatt (AUS) 3,140 pts
2nd Lisa Norden (SWE) 3,020
3rd Andrea Hewitt (NZL) 2,766
4th Daniela Ryf (SUI) 2,374
5th Sarah Haskins (USA) 2,189
Selected others:
6th Helen Jenkins (GBR) 2,146
21st Liz Blatchford (GBR) 1,327
39th Jodie Swallow (GBR) 763
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