Flora Duffy admitted to having to hold her nerve on the mountain bike phase on her way to winning the Totalsports XTERRA South African Championship on Sunday.

Duffy completed the 1.5-kilometre swim, 27km mountain bike and 11km trail run in an impressive 2hr 57min 7sec, nearly nine minutes ahead of the runner-up.

Carina Wasle, of Austria, clocked 3:05:49, with South Africa’s Carla van Huyssteen third in 3:06:03. To put Duffy’s performance into perspective, there were 567 finishers in the individual and team events, with the Bermudian 27th overall.

Although the margin of victory was comprehensive, the Bermudian Olympian had her moments of struggle. “The course is tough,” Duffy said. “I struggled a bit, flatting in the beginning of the mountain bike discipline, but I managed to hold it together.

“I’ve been working really hard on my run and was confident that I could pull it together. When I got on the little beach section, I gave a sigh of relief.”

She also called the event the best she has competed in on the XTERRA circuit. “Pro wins are hard to come by,” she added. “I was just lucky to put a good race together today.

“Although I was the first lady out the water, I was a little farther behind, as I usually manage to keep on Dan’s [Hugo] feet. This is a fantastic event, so professional; hands down, the best”.

Hugo, Duffy’s boyfriend, also had emotions after the race, albeit in relief of his triumph in the men’s division. It was his fourth, and most meaningful, win in XTERRA.

The South African finished the course in 2:29:25, more than two minutes ahead of his nearest rival. South Africans filled the next two places, with Stuart Marais finishing in 2:31:04 and Conrad Stoltz in 2:33:05.

The champion noted that he had the added incentive of outdoing Stoltz, who had been the man to beat.

“I wanted this win for a few reasons,” Hugo said. “The event doesn’t only keep growing in participants, but it keeps growing in stature, too.

“Conrad has set the bar for many years and I really wanted to beat him on his course. My plan was to go out aggressively on the swim.

“On the mountain bike, I passed Rory Downie, of Scotland, shortly after he got King of the Mountain. From there I never saw anybody again. “Coming off the bike I was knackered, but my running has got better and I believed I could do it. I wanted the win; I needed the win,”

n Tyler Butterfield, Bermuda’s leading male triathlete, and insurance company Tokio Millennium Re (TMR) will continue their partnership for the 2014 triathlon season.

The two-times Olympian has been sponsored by TMR since 2010, a partnership that has benefited both parties.

Excited about linking up with the group for the upcoming season once again, Butterfield is anxious to go out and repay the faith in him by the Japanese reinsurance giant.

“It is an honour to extend the partnership with TMR”, he said. “There are few companies outside of the athletic space who invest in athletes, but TMR takes their commitment to youth programmes and athletics to the next level.

“Their corporate structure is rooted in giving back while focusing on living healthy, active lives, and it is a privilege to represent them while I give it my all to achieve my professional goals.”

Tatsuhiko Hoshina, the TMR chief executive and an accomplished Ironman triathlete himself, has a keen interest in the sport and encourages the company’s involvement in numerous races.

“TMR has always been committed to Bermuda sport and youth programmes,” Hoshina said. “As a Bermudian from a terrific local family, Tyler Butterfield has and continues to be a wonderful ambassador for our nation.

“He is by far Bermuda’s most accomplished athlete and, as such, is a great role model for not only the youth in Bermuda, but also worldwide.

At TMR, we believe firmly in Tyler’s talents and are proud to be able to sponsor him and see him continually grow in the sport.”