Beijing, Aug. 17, 2008—In the most dominant performances in Olympic women’s triathlon, Australian Felt athlete Emma Snowsill claimed gold for Australia, running away with the victory in 1:58:27.

The win was Snowsill’s first Olympic medal, and Australia’s first Olympic gold medal. The last Australian to medal in triathlon was fellow Felt athlete and former Hawaii Ironman winner Michellie Jones, who earned silver in 2000 in Sydney.

Snowsill emerged from the 1.5-kilometer in just under 20 minutes with a large lead pack, and set out on the rolling six-lap bike course. The diminutive Aussie was low profile throughout the bike, but still managed to claim the third-fastest bike of the day in 1:04:20 over the 40-kilometer course.

But once on the run, Snowsill exerted her dominance, setting a searing pace that saw any pretenders to the crown immediately vying for silver. She grew her lead to eventually create a comfortable one-minute buffer as the multi-loop run under a hot Bejiing sun went on.

By the finish and without a challenger in sight, Snowsill grabbed an Australian flag and coasted down the final meters, slapping hands with the crown while absorbing the experience. The next finisher would come in a distant one minute, six seconds later.