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Triathlete wins Bermuda's first Olympic gold medal

July 27, 2021

Flora Duffy has made history for Bermuda, winning the tiny island nation's first Olympic gold medal with a dominant performance in the women's triathlon in Tokyo this morning.

The women's triathlon was delayed by 15 minutes due to poor weather this morning but eventually got underway with competitors having to deal with the added obstacle of a wet course as well as the gruelling challenge they already faced.

Duffy started strong in the delayed race to be one of seven competitors to break away from the rest of the field at the end of the swim section.

From there, Duffy and three others pushed ahead on the bike to make a leading group heading into the final leg of the race, holding a 22 second lead over the next group of competitors.

It was on the run that Duffy made her move.

The 33-year-old began building a lead, forging a 17-second gap after the first of four laps; a margin that only grew as the race went on.

Duffy eventually finished the race with a time of 1:46.45, one minute and seven seconds faster than silver medallist Goergia Taylor-Brown from Great Britain. USA's Katie Zaferes took third.

Flora Duffy of Bermuda reacts after winning the women's triathlon at the Tokyo Olympics.

Kiwi Nicole van der Kaay finished 29th in the race after fellow New Zealander Ainsley Thorpe had her Olympic dream end in heartbreaking fashion with a crash early in the cycling leg.

Duffy's triumph is Bermuda's second medal in 19 appearances at the Olympics after boxer Clarence Hill won bronze at the 1976 Games in Montreal.

The result will make Bermuda difficult to catch in per-capita medal charts with its population estimated at 62,100.

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