She will compete in the World Championships in Hamburg, Germany where she had her first top ten World Cup finish last year.

That feat was topped by some stellar performances across the globe but in June the wheels came off when she failed to complete the course in Madrid, Spain while she had to settle for a disappointing 24th in Des Moines, Iowa.

But slowly she has picked up the pace after fine-tuning her busy schedule.

She told The Mid Ocean News: "I was trying to mix travel, school, hard training - all the stress got to me and my body kind of crashed. Luckily I caught it in time before I completely crashed.

"Now it is just rebuilding it and getting back to the level I was last year which is easier said than done. The body takes a long time to recover."

She said she would settle for solid performances in the next three outings.

"I would like to have two top 20 finishes in the next two World Cups but you never really know how you are going to feel. But to just have three solid races I would be happy with."

Hopefully Hamburg will prove a happy hunting ground.

"I had a really good race there so I am hoping that luck will be there again this year. I felt really good throughout the whole triathlon, I had one of my best runs ever.

"The bike ride is flat and technical while the run is flat which kind of suits me. I am thinking the bike is going to be pretty hard.

"It's stop/start and fast - accelerating out of the corners. It will be quiet tough. The running is quite flat so it will be very fast."

For Olympic qualification she needs to be in the top 55 in the world. Currently she is 41st.

"Right now my spot is pretty secure."

And her strength is coming back.

"I feel better. Mentally it's hard to get around - with confidence levels. I am trying to stay positive. I am not going there expecting much," said Duffy who is currently studying in England,

"You just have to do what you can do on the day and build back. It's a long process."

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