Great Britain's Georgia Taylor-Brown once again settled for second place behind Flora Duffy at the final stage of the World Triathlon Championships in Abu Dhabi.
The 28-year-old had finished as runner-up to the Bermudian powerhouse at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and it was an identical story on Friday.
Taylor-Brown crossed the line with 01:54:28 on the clock, with Duffy posting a time of 01:53:24 to become the first woman to win four World Triathlon titles - ending on 5105 points compared to her rival's 5081.
Despite edging out Duffy by four seconds in the 40km bike ride, Taylor-Brown was beaten in the 1500m swim and 10km run by the 35-year-old in a storming Series victory, while Taylor Knibb of the USA took the overall bronze.
"I gave it everything I had today. It's been a hard few months and I've tried to forget about it all but i'm really proud of myself out there today and giving it everything and doing all I could," Taylor-Brown said after the race.
"We were battling it out to the end and I wouldn't have it any other way, and I don't think she would. I'm still learning in every race and I still want that world title one day."
However, there were a pair of world titles for GB to celebrate in the Under-23 races, as Connor Bentley clocked 01:50:15 to win the men's event while Kate Waugh took the women's title in a time of 02:00:18.
The final elite men's race will take place on Saturday, with Alex Yee currently second in the rankings with 3732 points, behind the 3850 of New Zealand's Hayden Wilde.
Ben Knapton
