Flora's flourish gives Bermuda first-ever Olympic gold

TOKYO－Triathlete Flora Duffy reveled in a "cool moment" after delivering the tiny island's first Olympic gold medal in Tokyo on Tuesday.

The 33-year-old crossed the line in the women's race in 1 hour 55 minutes and 36 seconds, more than a minute ahead of Britain's Georgia Taylor-Brown, with US athlete Katie Zaferes taking bronze.

Duffy's success makes Bermuda the smallest nation or territory in terms of population－around 70,000－ever to win a gold medal at a Summer Games.

"I have achieved my dream of winning a gold medal, but also winning Bermuda's first gold medal," she said.

"It's bigger than me and that's a really cool moment. That (the concluding part of the run) was the longest kilometer of my life.

"I think I can get used to being called Olympic champion for the rest of my life."

Bermuda's only previous Olympic medalist was boxer Clarence Hill, who won a bronze in 1976.

For Duffy, it was a welcome reward after persistent injuries and a diagnosis of anemia in 2013.

She quit the sport after failing to finish the event at the 2008 Beijing Games and started working in a shop before studying for a degree and returning to the sport.

In a race delayed by 15 minutes because of slippery conditions following heavy overnight rain in the Japanese capital, 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.

The broad grin she sported entering the finishing straight gave way to tears at the realization of what she had achieved as she crossed the line.

"I tried to just keep my composure and not allow my mind to drift to the fact that this was really happening until about the last kilometer of the run," said Duffy.

"I saw my husband, he's my coach, on the side of the road, and just gave him a little smile.

"From there I just sort of allowed all the emotions to come but I truly don't think it'll hit me until a couple of days from now."

Taylor-Brown suffered the intense frustration of a flat rear tire in the cycling section of the race, leaving her 22 seconds behind the leading quartet going into the running section, but she quickly made up the lost ground.

"Coming in the bike with 1 kilometer, 1.5 kilometers to go, I just heard 'tzzzssss' and I thought, 'fantastic'," said the 27-year-old.

"I decided not to stop and change my wheel. I just tried to see what could have happened as I had already lost time, but only 15 seconds so it wasn't all too bad.

"Then I just went really fast on the third lap of the run. I suffered after that but it paid off."

It was an emotional moment for Zaferes, whose father, Bill, died suddenly in April.

He was responsible for her taking up the sport after persuading her to compete with him in a Father's Day triathlon in 2007.

"We saw a rainbow during the race and I thought 'hey, Dad'," she said. "I mean, everything came together for me. I know I didn't win but it feels like it."

AFP