Courtney Hancock makes history with women's Coolangatta Gold victory, Ali Day wins men's event

 Key points:

Hancock is the first woman to win the Coolangatta Gold four times

She first won the race in 2011

Ali Day claimed his seventh men's victory

A proud Courtney Hancock has erased her demons from last summer, running down her rivals to claim a record fourth Coolangatta Gold crown.

In the men's race, Ali Day powered to a seventh title, demolishing the field in Sunday's 41.8-kilometre ironman endurance race.

Hancock has become the first ironwoman to win the race four times, with her earlier victories coming in 2011, 2016 and 2017.

The 33-year-old's win came despite being more than a minute behind leader Danielle McKenzie heading into the final 8.2km run leg of the surf lifesaving endurance on Sunday.

With defending champion Lana Rogers succumbing to exhaustion and withdrawing during the run and 2018 winner Georgia Miller unable to keep up the pace, Hancock caught up with McKenzie at the turn.

The pair then ran neck-and-neck over the next 4 kilometres back to Coolangatta Beach, before it was Hancock who found that little bit extra to clinch victory in 4 hours, 22 minutes and 43 seconds.

McKenzie (4:23:12) was second, with Miller (4:25:38) third.

Hancock's triumph was made all the more sweet after a disastrous Ironwoman series last summer in which she finished a lowly 11th overall. 

"I can probably stand here and say that was my proudest one yet," Hancock said.

"I lost it just at the end there really and then I kind of in my mind. They talk about in sport those moments, and you don't have them often, but it's like how bad do you really want this.

"And I was like, 'Yeah, I really want this one. I'm not going to be happy with second'."

Hancock's win sees her move past three-time Coolangatta Gold champions Hayley Bateup, Alicia Marriott and Elizabeth Pluimers on the women's all-time winners list.

Day blew away the field in the men's event to extend his record of having never been beaten in any Coolangatta Gold he has contested since his breakthrough win in 2012.

It also continues a remarkable return to the sport after a double-wrist fracture in 2019, which sidelined Day for 12 months and left him battling depression.

Since his comeback to competition, Day has swept last summer's Ironman series, claimed his first Ironman crown at April's national championships and now regained his Coolangatta Gold title.

Day won in a time of 3:52:12, while Corey Brown (3:57:36) finished second.

Matt Bevilacqua (3:58:28) rounded out the top-three placings.