Gregory Rouault (FRA) ran to an emotional win at the Edmonton ITU Triathlon World Cup for his first-ever gold at a World Cup race in 57:39.
Kyle Jones repeated as the Canadian National Champion with silver seven seconds later. Behind him, representing Team ITU, Ukraine's Ivan Ivanov crushed the final meters for his first World Cup podium finish in 58:01.
Andrew McCartney flew out of the water in a speedy 8:14 and went billowing for his bike with a 19-second lead. The Canadian was followed by a huge contingency of men, making for a congested transition zone.
Led by Peter Kerr (AUS), the men hustled towards the three-lap bike course. On the first lap, several men fell rounding a corner, including Canada's Andrew Yorke, while the rest of the men reeled in McCartney. But the Canadian was relentless and held strong at the top of the lead pack. Meanwhile, pre-race favourites Kerr and Jones rode safely in the middle of the pack, conserving energy for the run.
With a speedy transition, Ivanov was first off his bike to head for the run course followed by 22 men hungry for the podium. The first lap of the run separated the eventual medallists from the field, with Rouault, Jones, Ivanov & Rodrigo Gonzalez (MEX) all hammering shoulder to shoulder as they jetted for the bell lap.
But it was Rouault who dug deep and pulled ahead in the final crucial turns towards the finish. With a goal to get on the World Triathlon Series circuit, Rouault wouldn't be beat on Sunday as he claimed his first World Cup victory.
Jones earned silver in 57:46 while an ecstatic Ivanov pumped his fists in felicity with his bronze medal.
Edmonton will next year host the 2014 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final.
Results: ITU World Cup Edmonton
(750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run)
Elite Men
1. Grégory Rouault FRA 00:57:39
2. Kyle Jones CAN 00:57:46
3. Ivan Ivanov UKR 00:58:01
4. Rodrigo Gonzalez MEX 00:58:06
5. Kaleb Vanort USA 00:58:11
6. Gregory Billington USA 00:58:14
7. Sergio Sarmiento MEX 00:58:15
8. Peter Kerr AUS 00:58:15
9. Joe Maloy USA 00:58:19
10. Diogo Sclebin BRA 00:58:28
