Ironman Sabatschus shows his mettle

HAIKOU, HAINAN province: Germany's Olaf Sabatschus and Australia's Belinda Granger emerged as the winners of the inaugural Ironman China yesterday in the city of Haikou, south China's Hainan province.

Sabatschus was the first male champion of the tournament, consisting of 3.8km swimming, 180km cycling and 42.2km running. He crossed the finishing line to thunderous applause in a time of 8 hours 52 minutes 14 seconds.

It is the third Ironman title for Sabatschus, with today's win in Haikou possibly the hardest earned.