What an Olympic journey it has been for Bermuda’s Flora Duffy. On Tuesday morning at Tokyo 2020 she produced the performance of a true champion, powering through difficult conditions on the bike and then pulling away emphatically over the 10km run to win the Olympic gold she craved and that the display so richly deserved. After finishing 45th at London 2012, 8th in Rio the same year she won her first world title, today at Tokyo 2020 she topped the podium with one of the best races you are likely to see.
Great Britain’s Georgia Taylor-Brown
won a brave silver having suffered the misfortune of a puncture right at the
end of the bike segment that put her 20 seconds off the front and fought back
into contention, USA’s Katie Zaferes winning the bronze and an equally
hard-earned podium on a tough day in Tokyo.
“To be an Olympic champion has been
my dream since I was a little girl and did my first triathlon,” said Duffy.
“Going through my head, I guess was a bit of relief, coming into the Olympics
as one of the favourites, there’s a lot of pressure and expectations. I guess I
also knew that I was Bermuda’s first medal hope in many, many years and
something I wanted to achieve for myself but also for my country. I was
definitely overwhelmed, I didn’t know what to do, what to think. It was a
really special moment.”
It was 06.45 local time Tuesday
morning in Odaiba Bay when the 54 women took to the start line for their shot
at becoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic Champion. Heavy rain in the hours before the
race had let up but the drizzle - like the challenge ahead - remained. The
pressures of the biggest race of their lives, the heat and humidity of a Tokyo
summer and the five-year wait for their shot all came together to deliver
something truly special.
Once they got underway, the action
never let up. From the opening strokes of the swim it was Jessica Learmonth
(GBR) pushing the pace and with more chop in the water than the previous day’s
men’s race, the stronger swimmers quickly pulled away on lap one.
That lead group were setting a rapid
pace early on, so it was Katie Zaferes (USA), Summer Rappaport (USA), Vittoria
Lopes (BRA), Laura Lindemann (GER) and Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR) and a great
first lap from Duffy left her just 10 seconds off the front. Vicky Holland (GBR)
was 27 seconds off her teammate, Maya Kingma (NED) 30 seconds and Nicola Spirig
(SUI) was 48 seconds back, with USA’s Taylor Knibb already a minute off the
leaders.
The second lap saw no let up as
Learmonth looked to keep the game plan ticking and create a distinct lead group
that could pull away even further together on the bike. Following the seven
leaders, Emma Jeffcoat (AUS) was next out 42 seconds back, Kingma now almost a
minute off with Nicola Spirig and Cassandre Beaugrand 70 seconds back.
Duffy wasted no time in hitting the
gas and soon the leaders settled into their familiar groove up front, while
behind them the slick conditions saw Ainsley Thorpe (NZL) and Anastasia
Gorbunova’s (ROC) races sadly over early in the bike. The rain slowed but rarely
stopped long enough to help conditions improve.
At the end of lap one the seven
leaders had 60 seconds over the Spirig-led chasers, Rachel Klamer (NED) and Rio
2016 bronze medalist Holland part of a 14-strong group looking to organise
themselves and try not let that gap extend any further.
The chase group was 12 deep after two
laps – Spirig, Kingma, Valerie Barthelemy (BEL), Alice Betto (ITA), Yuko
Takahashi (JPN), Klamer, Jeffcoat, Leonie Periault, Zsanett Bragmayer (HUN) and
Simone Ackerman (RSA) hoping to pull together and claw back some time.
Spirig was doing plenty of work to
keep them in the hunt and they were soon joined by Rappaport, dropped by the
leaders on lap 4. At the 20km mark the gap was still just over a minute to the
first chasers and just over two minutes now to Lotte Miller (NOR), Taylor Knibb
and Holland but the rain started to fall again for the closing laps.
Vittoria Lopes then began to lose
touch as Duffy and co refused to let up the pace with two laps to go, and it
began to look like a battle between the five big guns to decide the podium. Bad
luck in the form of a flat tyre for Georgia Taylor Brown right at the end of
the bike saw her drop 20 seconds at the worst possible moment as the remaining
four of the group streamed onto the blue carpet.
The bikes racked, shoes on and transition
negotiated for the final time without any issues, there was now just 10km
between those women and Olympic glory. What unfolded was nothing short of a
masterclass from Duffy.
Looking every bit in control from the
very first strides, she carved out a gap within the first 1km and never looked
back. Behind her, Zaferes was holding on, and Learmonth – her challenge
seemingly gone - saw Taylor-Brown pass her and get back into the chase and take
on fluids to pursue the medals.
With the American soon in her sights,
it became a tactical play for the silver as Duffy stretched further away
towards her Olympic horizon. With 5km to go, Duffy was 47 seconds clear of
Zaferes, Taylor-Brown was now on her shoulder, Lindemann and Learmonth being
closed down by the likes of Periault, Klamer and, inevitably, Nicola Spirig.
Duffy had time to soak up the joy of
victory and etch her name into triathlon immortality down the final chute,
falling to the floor as the emotion poured out. Taylor-Brown had passed Zaferes
and pulled clear for a gutsy silver, the American lighting up as she crossed
for the bronze.
Crossing exhausted in fourth was
Rachel Klamer after an excellent run saw her to the cusp of the podium places,
followed by Leonie Periault. Nicola Spirig ran her way into sixth, Alice Betto
of Italy edging past Laura Lindemann for seventh. Jess Learmonth and Valerie
Barthelemy rounded out the Tokyo 2020 Olympic top 10.
“The puncture wasn’t ideal, I heard
it literally blow with about 2km to go when we were coming out of the park”
said Georgia Taylor-Brown. “I thought it was my brakes but then the next thing
my wheel got very bumpy. I was right near a wheel station but decided not to
stop because I would have lost more time. So I just rode on the flat. I managed
to get back on the girls on the straight, going under the bridge, but then it
was the corners, I couldn’t do it. I did panic, that’s the whole race I have
been in front and I have lost it with a few kilometres to go on the bike. I
just had to keep my cool, not rush through transition, try and get everything
right. I definitely went out quite hard on the first lap of the run but I think
it paid off because I got back in the race and it made me me more aggressive to
be back in the race and not fighting from the back.”
“I knew if had six weeks of hard
training I could get myself into a good spot,” said Katie Zaferes. My dad
passed away in April and I had two really rough races so to have the confidence
to execute that today, and to be on the podium today makes me so proud.”
Full results available here
https://triathlon.org/results/result/2020_tokyo_olympic_games/501765?mc_cid=02e9d3f8b4&mc_eid=6139649918
ABOUT WORLD TRIATHLON
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Michael Phelps Teaches Swimming
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