It wasn’t an Australian or a New Zealander who claimed the spotlight in Busselton today, but Britain’s Cameron Main. Delivering a poised and confident performance from start to finish, Main controlled the race from the front, made his decisive move on the marathon, and sealed an impressive victory after a gripping battle in the final discipline.
Main set the tone right from the swim. Exiting the water first in 46:15, he held only a slim margin – twelve men followed within a minute, including established names such as Sam Appleton, Caleb Noble, Jesper Svensson, Denis Chevrot, and Nick Thompson. The dynamics remained unchanged on the bike: halfway through the ride, at 90 kilometers, eleven athletes were still riding in close formation, the large lead group maintaining more than four minutes over the first chasers.
As the kilometers ticked by, the front pack thinned slightly, but the race remained wide open heading into T2. Eight athletes hit the marathon more or less together – among them Main, who immediately helped drive the pace alongside Mitchell Kibby and Thompson. Their early surge split the group, and by the six-kilometer mark Main had moved into the lead solo. From that moment on, no one could match his stride, and his advantage only continued to grow.
Main broke the tape in a superb 7:38:26. Caleb Noble claimed second after a thrilling late-race duel, finishing in 7:42:43, while Japan’s Jumpei Furuya completed the podium in 7:43:04.