Emma Moffatt captured back to back world triathlon titles with a second placing in the season finale in Budapest behind compatriot Emma Snowsill.

The two Australian Emmas showed they remain the two premier athletes in the women's field with their 1-2 finish in the Hungarian capital on Sunday afternoon.

Olympic bronze medallist Moffatt carried a slender lead into the race ahead of New Zealand's Andrea Hewitt and Swede Lisa Norden after dropping points in last month's penultimate round in Austria.

Having won the 2009 world championship series in a sprint finish against Norden in the final race on the Gold Coast, Moffatt again gritted her teeth to collect this year's crown.

"Australia had a great day with Snowy winning and me coming second and winning the title," Moffatt told AAP.

"The medal presentation was pretty special. I guess it feels fantastic.

"Emma was running her own race a minute up the road but we all had to be pretty tactical with what we were doing and where we had to finish.

"It is pretty nerve wracking knowing that you pretty much have to win or beat all the other girls behind you to secure the title."

Free from the pressure of racing for the title, Olympic champion Snowsill blitzed the field in Budapest in a reminder to the 29-year-old's rivals that she is far from washed up.

Snowsill has had a turbulent year, with injury and illness robbing her of consistent form and she has also split from fiance Craig Walton.

She defeated Moffatt in June to win the big-money ITU Elite Cup race in Iowa but failed to finish the previous two world championship races.

Moffatt becomes only the third Australian to win successive world titles since the official Olympic-distance championships - 1.5km swim, 40km cycle and 10km run - started in 1989.

She joins the likes of compatriots Michellie Jones in 1992-93 and Snowsill in 2005-06. The championships changed from a single event to the current season-long series format last year.

Moffatt won the title despite not winning a race in this year's seven-event program.

"I have not had the best season but I am really proud of what I have done, maybe I left the best for last," she said.

On Saturday Moffatt's partner and Beijiing Olympian Brad Kahlefeldt benefited from Olympic title holder Jan Frodeno's fade-out in Budapest to finish third in the world championship standings.

In a dramatic finale in Hungary, pre-race series leader Frodeno had a tough day with the German slipping to a disappointing 41st as Spaniard Javier Gomez's (3789) second placing proved enough for his second world crown.

Last year's world champion Alistair Brownlee of Great Britain won the final event of the seven-race series, outsprinting Gomez for the victory.

German Steffen Justus (3139) completed the podium in the event that had extra points attached to it, edging out fifth-placed Australian Kahlefeldt (3112) for second spot on the overall standings.

Australian Courtney Atkinson faded in the run leg and his performance meant he slipped from sixth to tenth in the rankings.

National triathlon coach Shaun Stephens said that Kahlefeldt was happy with his performance and well placed for another tilt at the world title next year.

"He had a consistent early year and he had a (shin) injury mid-year and has only just missed the silver," Stephens said.

"I know he is happy, he put together a decent year.

"He just needs another consistent block of training, and a good off-season before taking on the likes of Gomez and Brownlee."

Tom Wald
AAP