Flora Duffy will get some of the local media doing something they normally don’t do on a regular basis, (Cover Women in Sports) as she competes in the Queen of Bermuda Triathlon on Sunday.
Duffy who spent time at the Warwick Academy School is what was called Flora Duffy Appreciation Day said, “It was really nice, I haven’t been back to the school for a little while, but it was good to be back there showing power point presentation about my career and signing autographs.”
Duffy took some time out to speak with Islandstats.com following a busy day, she wanted to give the people of Bermuda to opportunity to hear her. North American Professional Triathletes Laurel and Rebeccah Wassner will take to the start line on Sunday with Duffy in the Elite Division of the Queen of Bermuda Triathlon.
The twins are well known on the North American circuit where they are consistent top finishers in the professional ranks in non-drafting Triathlons.
The Wassner’s live in New York City. Rebeccah is a three-time winner of the Nautica New York City Triathlon. Laurel is the first cancer-survivor-turned-professional triathlete. In 2010, she took second in the Nautica New York City Triathlon, finishing just two minutes behind Rebeccah.
The twins race to win championships, but also to raise awareness for the fight against cancer, particularly among young adults. In 1998, about a year after college graduation, Laurel was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. After six months of chemotherapy, Laurel spent the next few years battling fatigue and nausea while recovering her strength and rebuilding her life. Meanwhile, Rebeccah morphed into a professional athlete, competing first in marathons, before turning to triathlons in 2004.
In 2006, watching her sister race against the world’s top-ranked athletes at the ITU Elite World Championships, Laurel vowed to one day join her sister on the podium. With the help and support of friends and family, this dream became a reality when Laurel turned pro in 2008.
The twins are no strangers to Bermuda having finished 7th and 8th female pros in the Escape to Bermuda Triathlon in 2008.
