Matt Hauser has successfully defended his Hamburg title in the World Triathlon Championships Series, extending his lead in the WTCS rankings and securing his fourth podium in four races this year.
The 27-year-old Australian produced a trademark surge in the closing run leg to win Saturday's race by seven seconds.
Hauser started strongly in the swim leg and was just behind the Alghero WTCS winner Miguel Hidalgo heading into the six-lap bike ride.
Despite a couple of competitors crashing in the wet conditions, Hauser was able to transition into the final 5km run in the front pack.
With 800m to go in the race, Hauser broke away from Portuguese rival Vasco Vilaça to take the tape and the gold medal to further cement his number one position.
"I had an amazing time out there, executed the race exactly how I wanted," said Hauser.
"In contrast to last year's win, I was first out of transition and it felt really great. With only Vasco sticking around for the last lap, I knew I had to play it smart and attack him before the finish.
"A dream to go back-to-back on this iconic course."
Up next in the series is Saint Raphael-Frejus on the French Riviera on August 31 as Hauser also eyes a glorious finale at the WTC Finals in Wollongong in October.
Australian WTCS Hamburg results
Men's race
1 Matt Hauser
20 Luke Willian
35 Brandon Copeland
41 Brayden Mercer
42 Callum McClusky
Women's race
27 Sophie Linn
45 Emma Jeffcoat
47 Kira Hedgeland
52 Charlotte Derbyshire
