Great Britain's Jonathan Brownlee was victorious on his World Triathlon Series debut for 2012 with a dominant display in San Diego on Saturday.
The 22-year-old was in control throughout the race and strolled to the finish line to secure a convincing win, in one hour 48 minutes 47 seconds, ahead of Switzerland's Sven Riederer and South Africa's Richard Murray.
"For me it was the first race of the season," said Brownlee, who has already qualified for this summer's London Olympics along with older brother Alistair.
"I didn't really know what to expect. Seven months is a long time out. I was in a bit of shock at the race briefing, thinking 'wow, it's been a long long time since I've been in one of these'.
"I went into the race very relaxed, really, because I knew I didn't have to do anything. I didn't have to finish top nine, top four or anything - I just had to race my own race. I was pleased."
Brownlee was part of a small break at the start of the bike leg, but the leaders and first two chase groups soon came together to form a huge pack of over 50 athletes.
They hit T2 together and from there it came down to the 10km run. Brownlee and Murray charged to the front on the first lap before the Briton surged clear in the latter stages.
"The swim and the bike were good," Brownlee added. "I wasn't sure what to expect on that, but I have been running well all winter and my cross country races have been good. I felt good on the run. I felt a bit tired towards the end, I think I lacked a bit of racing there."
