Australia’s Emma Moffatt has won back-to-back Triathlon world titles despite finishing second behind compatriot and training partner, Emma Snowsill in the competition’s final leg in Budapest.

The victory providing a sparkling finish to an otherwise disappointing year for Beijing Olympic champion, Snowsill.

Olivia Noakes reports.

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Snowsill’s success proved to her critics she’s far from washed up, after a difficult 2009 in which the athlete was afflicted with heartache, injury and illness.

However the spotlight was well and truly on Olympic Bronze Medalist Moffatt who led New Zealand’s Andrea Hewitt and Swedish competitor Lisa Norden into the weekend event after dropping points in last month’s penultimate round in Austria.

Moffatt becomes only the third Australian to win successive world titles since the championships began in 1989.

Despite not winning a race in this year’s seven-event program Moffatt walked away with the title a number one world ranking and the richest first place prize on the international triathlon circuit of $200,000.

In other international sporting news Mark Webber recovered from a poor start in the Italian Grand Prix to finish sixth and surge back to the lead in the Formula One championship ..

His cause aided by a first lap disaster for Lewis Hamilton.

Commentator: “He’s out of the race, Lewis Hamilton is out. What a shambles there for the world champion leader.”

This served only to inspire Spain’s Fernando Alonso who scored an all-the-way win finishing almost three seconds ahead of England’s Jenson Button.

The Spaniard is in third place overall, behind Lewis Hamilton, who remains on 182 points five adrift of the Australian.

Olivia Noakes QUT News.