AUSTRALIA'S decade-long reign at the Hawaii ironman triathlon is over after one of the unluckiest athletes in world sport this week, Mirinda Carfrae, succumbed to two freak pre-race accidents and other Aussies were victims of savage conditions. 
For the first time since 2005 an Australian was absent from the top step of either the men's or women's dais at the end of the 3.8km swim, 180km cycle and 42.2km run race.
Instead, two Europeans with strong Aussie connections won when German Jan Frodeno, the husband of pregnant Australian Olympic champion Emma Snowsill, claimed the men's crown and Swiss triathlete Daniela Ryf, who trains at Wollongong just south of Sydney, won the women's title Liz Blatchford, who started her triathlon career racing for Australia before switching to a British passport, returned to race for Australia in Hawaii and managed a third place.
She was the only Australian to finish in the top 10 in either the men's or women's race.
"It's huge for me - it's sad to see Rinny (Carfrae) not be able to finish today, but she's a true champion," Blatchford said after the race, which was contested in high humidity and produced numerous retirements, including Australian Luke McKenzie.
Carfrae was an unbackable favourite to extend the extraordinary winning run but a craving for chocolate and a car which clipped her while training on Thursday conspired against her claiming more history as the first Australian to win four crowns in the toughest multi-endurance race in the world.Carfrae took a tumble off her bike a week ago while rushing for a sugar hit and then just three days before the torturous event she hit the bitumen again after an altercation with a car.