Flora Duffy has all but secured qualification for next year’s Olympic Games in Rio.

Duffy is ranked twelfth in the ITU Olympic qualification list after a series of superb performances over the past two years, finishing seventh overall in the 2015 ITU World Triathlon Series.

Considering she is almost guaranteed to be among the 55 elite women on the start line in Rio, Duffy said it was a huge relief to be able to prepare for her third Olympics without the burden of chasing qualification points.

It is a far cry from Duffy’s build-up to London 2012, when she sat in 47th position with three races remaining before the qualification deadline.

“Should the Olympics be tomorrow I would be on the start list, so that takes the pressure off,” she said.

“It’s huge for my preparation because it means I don’t need to be in top form by March, I can wait until August and have a slower build-up. That’s always better because you risk injury and illness if you’re pushing to get fit and travelling a lot to races to chase points.”

Duffy has had her fair share of misfortune at the Olympics.

At London 2012 she suffered heartache after crashing in front of Buckingham Palace while leading the chase group on the bike. Duffy also endured misery in Beijing four years earlier, when she failed to finish because of loss of form and illness.

However, after enjoying her best-ever season, defending her Xterra World Championship title in Maui this month, and winning the bronze medal at the Pan American Games in Toronto this summer, Duffy is confident it will be a case of third time lucky in Rio.

She has tempered her medal expectations in Rio, though, insisting that a top-ten finish, top five at best, was a more realistic aim.

“I think a podium is a little out of the question,” said Duffy, who splits her time between Colorado and Stellenbosch, South Africa.

“A top five or top ten would be more realistic and that’s what I’m aiming for.

“Weird things tend to happen at the Olympics, so we will have to see.”

Duffy is enjoying her downtime after ending her season on high, finishing third in the three-day Island House Invitational Triathlon in Bahamas, picking up $30,000.

She returned home for the Bermuda Triathlon Association awards at Riddell’s Bay Golf and Country Club at the weekend, where she handed out prizes to some of the Island’s aspiring triathletes.

“I don’t think I’ve been to one of these dinners in about seven years, maybe even longer,” said Duffy. “Every time I come back it’s always surprising how much the community follows me.

“When you’re away you don’t realise it and then you come back and the support is pretty incredible.

“It’s amazing how excited the little kids get when they meet me. It’s pretty strange, I’m just a normal person who swims, bikes and runs.”