Blummenfelt was making his debut at the Ironman World Championships, held outside the traditional location of Kona in Hawaii for the first time since 1978.

The Olympic champion was eighth in the standings after completing the 2.4-mile swim and 112-mile bike legs of the event.

The 28-year-old gained ground on the marathon run and eventually took the lead.

Blummenfelt crossed the line in a winning time of 7 hours 49min and 16sec.

He became the first man to win the Ironman world title on debut since 1996, when Belgium’s Luc Van Lierde triumphed.

Canada’s Lionel Sanders earned second place after crossing the line 4:46 behind the winner.

The podium was completed by New Zealand’s Braden Currie in 7:54:19.

Switzerland’s Daniela Ryf returned to the top of the women’s podium, winning the event for the fifth time in her career.

Ryf, who earned four consecutive titles from 2015 to 2018, earned victory in a time of 8:34:59.

Britain’s Katrina Matthews finished as the runner-up in 8:43:49.

Defending champion Anne Haug completed the podium places, with the German earning a third consecutive top-three finish at the event.

Haug crossed the line in 8:47:03.

The Ironman World Championships took place for the first time since 2019, with the COVID-19 pandemic having prevented races from being held in recent years.