Cape Town - South Africa’s Chad le Clos ended as the runner-up in the men's classification in the FINA Swimming World Cup which concluded Hong Kong last Sunday.
Le Clos took home $50 000 (R681 652) for his efforts in the nine-leg short course series.
The Durbanite trailed Russia's Vladimir Morozov (640) by 124 points in earning a total of 516 points in the overall standings.
It was a back-to-back second-place finish for Le Clos, after losing to countryman Cameron van der Burgh in 2015.
In the ninth and final World Cup leg in Hong Kong, Le Clos won gold in the 50m, 100m and 200m butterfly races.
He won his 20th consecutive 50m butterfly gold medal by stopping the clock in 22.31 seconds.
The Rio Olympic silver medallist in the 100m butterfly and 200m freestyle, set multiple swimming benchmarks in the series this year, as he went undefeated for the season in the 50m and 100m butterfly events.
The 24-year-old also became the most successful World Cup male swimmer during the season when he won his 100th gold medal.
Le Clos is a three-time men's title winner, having won in 2011, 2013 and 2014.
Meanwhile, in the women’s field, Hungary's ‘Iron Lady’, Katinka Hosszu, won her fifth consecutive title in the series ending with a total of 1 197 points.
Jamaica’s Alia Atkinson came second with a total of 480 points while Jeanette Ottesen from Denmark finished third on 441.
Overall ranking:
Men
1. Vladimir Morozov (RUS), 640 points - $100 000
2. Chad Le Clos (RSA), 516 points - $50 000
3. Daiya Seto (JPN), 330 points - $30 000
Women
1. Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 1197 points - $100 000
2. Alia Atkinson (JAM), 480 points - $50 000
3. Jeanette Ottesen (DEN), 441 points - $30 000