Faris Al-Sultan, a Muslim with Iraqi roots who is sponsored by a Munich brewery, won the Ironman Triathlon World Championships in Hawaii at the weekend.
Think of Wimbledon to tennis, the World Cup to football, and the Olympics to many sports events and it gives an idea of the achievement by this naturalised German who swam, biked and ran a total of 226km without stopping at the Holy Grail of triathlon at Kailua-Kona.
And on the very day of Saturday's constitutional referendum elections in Iraq, this finely-honed athlete with an Iraqi father and German mother was drawing attention to the Middle Eastern country in another way.
The 27-year-old, who for the record supports the US-led invasion of Iraq, completed the 3.8km ocean swim, the 180km bike ride and a full marathon of 42.2km in 8hr 14min 17sec to push Cameron Brown of New Zealand and Canada's Peter Reid into the minor placings.
Al-Sultan told German sports agency SID afterwards: "It's simply unbelievable and it's a dream come true. I just need time to let it all sink in."
Triathon is an Olympic sport but the distance involved in that event is a 1.5km swim, a 40km bike ride and a 10km run which elite athletes complete in around two hours.
The Ironman distance, first raced in Hawaii in 1978, was conceived by the American Navy, combining the three events already held separately in Hawaii, to see who was the real "Ironman."
Known affectionately as the "splash (swim), mash (the pedals in the bike), dash (run)" in triathlon circles, the sport has come a long way since its ironman debut nearly 30 years ago.
And in 2005, it was Al-Sultan who proved his strongest man credentials.
"I knew about 20 athletes could win this race, and I belonged in that group, but whether I could actually go on to cross the line first was another matter," he continued."
When asked about how he coped with the 30-degree-plus centigrade heat, he added: "The conditions are really difficult and that is why it's the hardest triathlon in the world. But in my heart I'm a warm weather sportsman.
Knee problems in June hampered Al-Sultan's build-up to the race. "Because of my injuries, this victory is all-the-more surprising. My knee problems lasted quite a while meaning I really had to curtail my run training."
Last year's winner, German Normann Stadler, who was hotly-tipped to win this time, did not have so much luck. Three flat tyres and a bee sting ended his challenge, leaving him on the side of the road in tears.
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