With a population close to 70,000, Bermuda became the smallest nation by population to win a Gold medal in a Summer Olympics, when 33 year old Flora Duffy won the women’s Triathlon on 26th of July 2021. Bermuda had their first medal way back in 1976 at the Montreal Games, when Clarence Hill, won a bronze in Boxing. So Flora’s feat coming after a gap of 45 years has given the Bermudians a huge cause for celebration.
Triathlon
Triathlon at the Olympics, a race comprising of a 1.5 km swim, a 40 km bicycle ride and a 10 km run, in that order, is a severe test of an athlete’s endurance both physical and mental. Flora Duffy is a classic example of this endurance.
Flora Duffy
After being unable to finish her race in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Flora Duffy left the sport. Constant injuries and an anaemic condition posed severe health issues for Flora. She started working at a shop and at the same time studied for her degree too. With injuries healed, a brave Flora Duffy eventually returned to the sport she loved.
Her winning the Gold for Bermuda is testimony to the fact that focus, unrelenting hard work, self belief and an unwavering desire to win, is undoubtedly the recipe for success, be it sport or otherwise. What Flora Duffy has achieved will not only inspire a generation of Young boys and girls in Bermuda but also across the world and will be a part of the country’s history pages and folklore.
Flora “Iron Woman” Duffy… a super athlete indeed.