Britain’s Jonathan Brownlee finished seventh after crashing on the bike leg as Henri Schoeman won the World Triathlon Series opener in Abu Dhabi.
South African Schoeman, Olympic bronze medallist in Rio, dominated to clinch his second WTS victory having last won in Cozumel, Mexico, in 2016.
Spain’s defending world champion Mario Mola took silver while Frenchman Vincent Luis won bronze.
“It’s so good to make a statement,” said 26-year-old Schoeman.
“I’m just so happy. I’ve had a tough year after the Olympics and it’s so good to come back.”
Briton Tom Bishop, who finished second in Abu Dhabi last year, was 14th while Marc Austin and Gordon Benson were 27th and 45th respectively.
In wet conditions, Brownlee – racing in Abu Dhabi for the first time since 2015 – led in the early stages of the cycling leg before sliding off on the slick roads with 17km to go.
The 27-year-old was quickly back on his bike but struggled to push himself back into contention, finishing 53 seconds behind Schoeman.
Schoeman becomes only the second athlete in WTS history to lead out of the swim and off the bike before winning the race.
Britain’s double Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee – absent in Abu Dhabi through injury – was the first in Kitzbuhel, in 2011.
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