Flora Duffy stormed to victory at the Super League Championship decider in Malibu, California, beating a stacked field of world champions to complete a memorable summer for the Bermudan triathlete.
Duffy, who became the Olympic champion in Tokyo in August, dominated the Eliminator showdown from the off, with the Bermudan’s win ensuring the second-place finisher Georgia Taylor-Brown was the overall series champion ahead of her British compatriot Jess Learmonth.
“It was my first Super League experience and I didn’t know what to expect,” said Duffy at the finish. “But I absolutely loved it. It helped coming in fresh, but the speed was a shock to my system. I grew up in Bermuda so I spent a lot of time in the ocean and I’m used to the surf, so I felt comfortable out there. Georgia is such a classy athlete and so talented and really turned it on during that last run.”
Duffy in her first Super League Triathlon was in the top group out of the water, Duffy immediately took the lead on the bike, Duffy picked up the 2nd short chute, both wildcard denying Jess Learmonth a short chute.
Duffy, Learmonth and Lucy Charles Barclay led out the 2nd swim, but Charles Barclay struggled in transition so it was a break of two Duffy & Learmonth in the lead.
It was about who had saved enough energy here, Duffy had a huge lead after a really tough wave hit the women as they ran in for Stage 3, then out onto the bike, it's Learmonth, Georgia Taylor-Brown, Duffy and Katie Zaferes ahead of the rest of the field
On the final run Duffy would use the short chute on the final lap to put some distance between herself and the field to claim the victory in a time of 56:18.
