HAMILTON, Bermuda, CMC – Bermuda’s golden girl Dame Flora Duffy has announced she will focus on longer distances to boost her chances of successfully defending her Olympic triathlon title in Paris next year – which she describes as her “big goal.”
In addition to her Olympic title, Duffy had twice won Commonwealth Games gold, six Xterra World Championships, and a record four World Triathlon Series Championships (WTSC). Still, he was a notable absentee when the new WTCS season opened in Abu Dhabi last weekend.
Instead, the 35-year-old has signaled her intention to step up in the distance and compete on the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) 100-kilometre Tour this season, which begins in Ibiza, Spain, on May 6, the Royal Gazette newspaper said.
“My whole life goal was to win at the Olympics, and I did that,” Duffy, the only Bermudian ever to win Olympic gold, said in a new PTO video feature on fulfilling her childhood dream in Tokyo in 2021. “Anything I do in my career from now is icing on the cake.
“My goal for this year was to do different types and racing styles. I’ve only done one sort of longer-course race, which was at the beginning of 2020, which feels like a lifetime ago because that’s pre-pandemic.
“Paris [2024 Olympic Games] is my big goal, but I would love to jump into 100k distance.
“The distance is not what I’m comfortable with, but it’s new for me to be somewhere where I’m uncomfortable or unsure of how the race will play out for me.”
Despite her relative lack of experience over the longer format, which consists of a two-kilometer swim, an 80-kilometer bike ride, and an 18-kilometer run, Duffy heads into the campaign 12th in the PTO rankings after encouraging displays at the 70.3 World Championships, US Open, and Collins Cup displays last season. She also won Ironman 70.3 South Africa in January 2020.
Duffy knows she will be in the unfamiliar position of underdog on tour, which boasts a star-studded line-up headed by Switzerland’s Daniela Ryf, a five-time winner of the Ironman World Championships and Ironman 70.3 World Championships.
“I come in as the reigning Olympic, World, and Commonwealth champion, and I guess my reputation precedes me a little bit,” added Duffy, who Ryf beat in the Collins Cup series opening race in Bratislava, Slovakia, in August last year.
“I haven’t proven myself over this distance at all. I’ve done one race, and to be perfectly honest, it wasn’t the best performance. So I must prove I can race well at this distance.”
Despite Duffy’s reservations, Ryf, also 35, says she is sure the Bermudian will cope with the transition to the longer distance after observing her incredible success over the past few years.
“I raced her back when we were juniors, and it’s fantastic to see how she has developed as an athlete,“ Ryf said.
“She had terrific races and then was also, for a while, I think, struggling. It’s imposing how she turned around and brought up this fantastic career.
“The last couple of years, she’s just been brilliant. She improved that performance when it counted. When the pressure is on, some people crack. Flora won’t crack. She’s adamant.”
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