Flora Duffy wins women’s triathlon for Bermuda’s first-ever Olympic gold

Bermuda's Flora Duffy gestures as she crosses the finish line of the women's individual triathlon competition during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo on July 27, 2021. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP)

Thirty-three-year-old Flora Duffy’s win marks Bermuda’s first Olympic gold medal

Photo by Charly Triballeau/AFP

Tokyo, Japan – Flora Duffy made Olympic history on Tuesday, winning the women’s triathlon in Tokyo to give the tiny island of Bermuda its first-ever gold medal.

The 33-year-old timed 1:55:36 to surge past Britain’s Georgia Taylor-Brown, with American Katie Zaferes taking the bronze. Duffy’s success makes Bermuda the smallest nation in terms of population—around 70,000 —to ever win a medal at the Summer Games.

In a race delayed by 15 minutes due to the slippery conditions following heavy overnight rain, Duffy took control in the final running section. She had opened up a lead of almost a minute after the first of four laps and was never under threat from then on.

Taylor-Brown suffered a flat rear tire in the cycling section of the race. Bermuda’s only previous Olympic medalist was boxer Clarence Hill in 1976.