Enter McMahon and Opera House goes Mum

As the 33-year-old McMahon raced shoulder to shoulder with Jones in the downhill stretch to the Opera House, husband Mike and three-year-old son Dominic – clad in `Team McMahon’ T-shirts – tried to make their voices heard above the roar of encouragement for the home girl from thousands of Australians. With the Opera House finish looming, the 33-year-old made a final kick to win by two seconds from Jones, in a time of 2:40.52 hours.

Switzerland’s Magali Messmer ran third, 28.31 seconds behind her countrywoman and celebrated a red-letter day for Switzerland by completing the last few yards waving two Swiss flags handed to her by spectators. Still gasping for breath, McMahon was waiting to embrace Messmer at the finishing line. "A lot has changed in my life since taking up triathlon. `Why have I made such an improvement?’ The birth of my son, Dominic, in 1997 is one reason," said McMahon after winning the first Olympic triathlon gold.

"The biggest change in my career was when husband Mike took over my coaching 18 months ago," she said. McMahon, who met her American husband poolside in Hawaii eight years ago when she was a budding swimmer and he was a promising Ironman triathlete, said that she had visualised the final sprint down towards the Opera House countless times in training.

It was a stunning setting for triathlon’s Olympic debut with the competitors competing in and around the world famous Sydney Opera House and Harbour. The 1500m swim leg took the contestants over Farm Cove and the 40km bike leg and concluding 10km run was raced on downtown streets lined five deep by Australians willing on one of their so called "Dream Trio" to the hosts first victory of the Games.