Triathlete vomits and collapses after winning gold medal before being taken away in wheelchair

Norwegian Kristian Blummenfelt won grueling event for first Olympic medal

Norway's Kristian Blummenfelt celebrates at the Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo (AFP via Getty Images)

Olympic triathlete Kristian Blummenfelt vomited and collapsed after winning gold and had to be taken away in a wheelchair.

The Norwegian fell to the ground after crossing the finishing line in first place at the grueling men’s event in Tokyo.

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Blummenfelt secured gold in hot conditions after holding off Britain’s Alex Yee and New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde.

Blummenfelt, 27, who is the world record holder for the half-Ironman triathlon distance, broke clear of the group of three for the win.

“It’s the moment I’ve been dreaming about for so many years and seeing the finish line and the blue carpet and touching that tape - to be actually able to put it together on the day - is something I’m really proud of,” he said.

The Olympic Triathlon consists of a 1.5km swim, a 40km bike ride and a 10km run.

It was Blummenfelt’s first Olympic gold medal after he finished 13th in the 2016 Rio Games.

The start of the event on Sunday was briefly delayed when a TV boat got in the way of the athletes at the start of the swim.

A third of the 56-man field was blocked by the camera boat and had to watch as the competition swam off before being brought back by officials with air horns.

Race winner Kristian Blummenfelt said that the chaos had not been a major problem.

“I saw the boat and found it quite strange,” said Blummenfelt.

“When I dived in I thought it would most likely be pulled back so I just kept to the left and went steady and tried to look at it as a positive, an extra warm up.”

Australian Jake Birtwhistle was kicked in the face during the false start and suffered a broken nose, eventually finishing the event in 16th place.