Being one point ahead, was the winner (3)
I believe the answer is:
won
'being one' is the definition.
Both the definition and answer are adjectives. Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'point ahead was the winner' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'point' could be 'w' (West) and 'w' is found in the answer.
'ahead' could be 'on' (synonyms) and 'on' is present in the answer.
This accounts for all the letters.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for won that I've seen before include "and 26: Chinese dumpling" , "Korean currency, was victorious" , "prevailed" , "Came first" , "Succeeded, conquered" .)