A surging sprint to the finish line has delivered Matt Bevilacqua an Ironman Series victory he rates as the highlight of his life.
Bevilacqua pipped Ben Carberry as the pair engaged in a thrilling battle for the series crown in the final race at Kurrawa on the Gold Coast on Sunday.
With defending champion Ali Day ruled out with a virus, Bevilacqua and Carberry entered the last race tied on points; whoever finished first between them would claim the title.
The duo were neck-and-neck after the ski leg, getting to their feet at the same time for a beach sprint to determine the champion.
Bevilacqua edged out Carberry to capture his second series title, following his 2018 triumph.
"It feels awesome ... it's the greatest achievement of my life," Bevilacqua said.
"That is the hardest thing I've ever done. That last leg (of the race) was so ridiculous, to drop down on the wave with Benny - I was like 'Oh, my god'.
"I have won a lot of individual races but winning the series was all that was on my mind coming into today and that last race.
"I knew what I had to do and that was to beat Benny ... I didn't even know where I came when I crossed the line, I just had my eye on the prize."
Bevilacqua finished third with Carberry fourth in the last race, won by Finn Askew from Cory Taylor.
The 30-year-old Bevilacqua claimed the series with 104 points, just one point ahead of 28-year-old Carberry, with New Zealander Joe Collins (97 points) in third place.
Meanwhile, Georgia Miller has taken out the women's title despite finishing eighth in Sunday's last race.
After winning four consecutive rounds, Miler entered the finale with a 13-point advantage and only had to complete the race to ensure a series victory.
"That's incredible. That is something that dreams are made of," Miller said.
"I'm going to get emotional because I've been hanging in there the last two days, I have been very nervous ... I am going to cherish this forever."
Miller (111 points) was well ahead of Lizzie Welborn (101) and Danielle McKenzie (96) despite all but McKenzie finishing outside the top-three in the last race, won by Naomi Scott from Harriet Brown with McKenzie third.
