French duo Sylvain Sudrie (pictured) and Ciryl Viennot claimed gold and silver respectively in the men's competition at the ITU Long Distance World Championships ©Getty Images

French duo Sylvain Sudrie and Ciryl Viennot claimed gold and silver medals respectively in the men's competition at the International Triathlon Union (ITU) Long Distance World Championships, with Britain's Jodie Swallow winning the women's gold medal in Oklahoma City.

Both Frenchmen were previous world champions but it was Sudrie who took the crown this time thanks to his sublime swim that gave him an unassailable lead.

The races started with a two-lap, four kilometres swim in Hefner Lake, the water reservoir for Oklahoma City.

Athletes then cycled 120km around the Oklahoma countryside before returning to the lake area for a 30km run.

The victory saw Sudrie return to the top of the podium after first winning the title in 2010.

He finished in a time of 5 hours 59min 40sec.

His compatriot Viennot finished only a few minutes behind in 6:02:11.

Home favourite Matt Chrabot of the United States claimed the bronze as he crossed the finish line in 6:06:13.

Great Britain’s Jodie Swallow regained the title she won in 2009 with victory in the women's race in Oklahoma ©Getty Images
Great Britain’s Jodie Swallow regained the title she won in 2009 with victory in the women's race in Oklahoma ©Getty Images

In the women's race, Swallow regained the title she last won 2009.

Caroline Steffen of Switzerland lined up alongside the Briton as the only other previous winner of the event but Swallow produced a quick swim to take the lead that she would then hold for the rest of the race.

She crossed the line in a time of 6:37:11, seven minutes faster than her closest rival Steffen, the silver medallist in 6:44:40.

Bronze went to Canadian athlete Rachel McBride who finished almost 19 minutes behind Swallow in 6:56:05.

The bronze was the second of McBride's career after she also finished third in 2013.