Emma Moffatt wins triathlon final and 2009 title

Beijing Olympic bronze medalist Emma Moffatt of Australia won the ITU triathlon world championship series grand final on Sunday, clinching the 2009 overall title after a race-long duel with Sweden's Lisa Norden.

Moffatt beat Norden by five seconds, leaving the Swede in second place overall for the season title after eight races. Moffatt was fourth out of the 1,500-meter swim leg, while Moffatt and Norden were tied for first after the 40-kilometer cycle.

The Australian and Norden were even for much of the 10-kilometer run before Moffatt pulled away with about 200 meters to go. Reigning world champion Helen Jenkins of Britain finished third. Moffatt finished the race in 1 hour, 59 minutes, 14 seconds, with Norden's official time 1:59:19 and Jenkins finishing in 1:59.41.

``I couldn't have asked for anything better today, everything went to plan,'' said Moffatt, who battled a foot injury over the past month after winning earlier world championship series events at Washington, Kitzbuhel and Hamburg. Fellow Australian Emma Snowsill, the Beijing Olympics gold medalist, did not compete Sunday due to her recovery from hip surgery. Olympic silver medalist Vanessa Fernandes of Portugal, who

has had several injuries this season, pulled out during the cycle leg.

Moffatt went into the grand final with 3,140 points in the standings with Norden second with 3,020, and Moffatt could have finished second Sunday and still clinched the season title. Andrea Hewitt of New Zealand, who had 2,766 in third, finished eighth Sunday to keep that third place in the standings.

Britain's Alistair Brownlee sprinted the final 500 meters of the run leg to win the men's elite grand final on Saturday and the overall title following four previous wins in world championship series events.

Earlier Sunday, Emmie Charayon of France won the women's junior race on the Gold Coast, with Emma Jackson of Australia second and Rachel Klamer of the Netherlands third.

Mario Mola of Spain took the junior men's title, Jonathan Brownlee -- Alistair's younger brother -- was second and Kristof Kiraly of Hungary finished third.

More than 5,000 competitors also took part in age-group events, including a 74-to-79 age bracket.