TRIATHLON: Wollongong triathlete Charlotte McShane timed her run to perfection to become Australia's latest triathlon world champion in London on Thursday.

Scottish-born McShane, who emigrated with her family when she was 15 to live in Bairnsdale in country Victoria, broke away from a group of five others to clinch the gold medal in the Women's ITU Under 23 World Triathlon Championship.

Canberra's Declan Wilson almost matched her effort in the Men's U23 race but had to settle for a surprise bronze.

It capped a great day for the green and gold team with another five top-ten placings and four top-20 finishes from the other 14 Aussie contestants in U23's and Juniors.

"I knew I had a good sprint so in the end I just backed myself and I won, I can't believe it, I've never won anything before," said McShane, one of four Wollongong training partners in the race.

"I wasn't prepared to go, I was just waiting for the other girls to make their move and when they did I knew I could pounce and match them."

McShane hit the final 100 metres of the 10km run and stormed away to beat Canadian pair Ellen Pennock and Amelie Kretz.

Of the three other members of Jamie Turner's Wollongong Wizards group, Tamsyn Moana-Veale finished eighth, Grace Musgrove 12th and Natalie Van Coevorden 14th.

That gave the U23 men something to aim for when they dived into the Serpentine, Wilson and National Talent Academy teammate Ryan Fisher (who finished 8th), were in the mix all day and Matt Brown finished 16th.

In only the third Olympic distance triathlon of his career, 20-year-old Wilson played it safe on the bike before unleashing on the run as the field eventually wore down to a race in three.

Frenchman Pierre Le Corre, fourth last year in Auckland, claimed the U23 gold with a spirited final sprint from Spain's Fernando Alarza.

"I didn't have any pressure on me going in; I don't really stress about too many things; I try and roll with it most of the time and I think it works," said Wilson, who spent much of 2012 swimming double sessions because of injury.

"Last year wasn't the best injury-wise but injuries can be blessings in disguise sometimes and you come out of them and you improve and come out the other side."

Earlier, a mud-splattered Jacob Birtwhistle produced a brave performance to get back on his bike for a fast finishing sixth in the Junior Men's race.

The 18-year-old Launceston schoolboy, who won the Australian Youth Olympic Festival race in January, crashed on the first lap of the 20km bike course and was also hit with a 10-second penalty for not putting his wetsuit in the designated box.

“That didn’t go according to plan….that’s for sure,” said a frustrated and bitterly disappointed Birtwhistle, straight after the race and showing the muddy and bloody scars of his bingle with the Hyde Park pavement. 

“Whatever could have gone wrong did go wrong….I crashed on the first lap of the bike and also suffered a penalty for what I’m not sure.” 

He fought on bravely to chase home the winners, European champion Dorian Coninx of France and Scottish pair Marc Austin and Grant Sheldon. 

In the Junior Women's race West Australian Jaz Hedgeland fell just five seconds short of a podium finish behind triumphant American Tamara Gorman, Georgia Taylor-Brown of Britain and German Laura Lindeman.

"I set myself the goal of winning the gold medal," said Hedgeland.

"So I am disappointed to finish fourth but I left nothing out there.

"I was well up in the swim and worked really hard on the bike but when it came to the run I just had nothing in my legs."

AAP/Triathlon Australia