Victory in the crowning final race of the world championship series has proved a bittersweet affair for Australian triathlon king Matt Hauser as he still ended up having to surrender his global crown in Spain.
In a thrilling finale to the season-long series on Sunday, Hauser won the day, pipping the championship leader, Portugal's Vasco Vilaca, as only a photo-finish could separate the pair after they covered the course in Pontevedra in one hour 39 minutes 31 seconds.
The Maryborough maestro prevailed by just 0.08 seconds in one of the most memorable finishes to a global triathlon, but it wasn't enough to prevent Vilaca taking away the Aussie's world title as the season's best after Hauser had been inconsistent and suffered crashes.
