Flora Duffy will have a series of medical tests next week seeking an explanation for her poor run of recent form — a slump which has seen the 19-year-old triathlon sensation alarmingly below par in her last two World Cup races.

As a budding athlete growing up in Bermuda and throughout her year and a half on the professional triathlon circuit, Duffy has become accustomed to the sweet taste of success.

In her debut World Cup season, the Bermudian was undisputedly the story of the triathlon year — securing three top-ten finishes, an eighth place at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and the silver medal at the World Junior Championships in Switzerland.

Having to withdraw, therefore, from the Madrid World Cup two weeks ago because of fatigue and then finishing third-from-last in the scorching heat of Des Moines, Iowa over the weekend has, for practically the very first time, left the youngster struggling with the emotional upheaval of failure — a word which was not previously in her vocabulary.

Back on the Island for the next three weeks preparing for what she regards as one of, if not the biggest assignment of the season — the Pan Am Games in Brazil — the former Warwick Academy wonder-kid admitted yesterday she has no definitive explanation for the dramatic decline in her usually lofty standards.

She is well aware, however, that these kinds of form slumps are not uncommon in elite level athletics and has consoled herself by speaking to other triathletes who have been in similar positions before.

“I just don’t know what’s wrong with me at the moment, but hopefully the tests will give me an idea — whether it’s over-training and the affects catching up with me or whether there’s an adjustment I need to make to my diet or whatever,” she said.

“What I do know is that the spark that I usually have in the big races is just not there. I feel pretty normal in the water, but on both the bike and the run my legs felt heavy in both Madrid and Des Moines and in general I just don’t feel as strong as I usually do.

“It makes things difficult because obviously I’m not entirely sure what I should be doing: whether I should carry on training as normal or whether I should be taking it slightly easier.

“As an elite athlete, obviously you’re desperate to get out there and do what’s required, but until I know exactly what’s wrong it’s a tricky one because I might be doing myself more harm than good.

“Things like this happen to other athletes all the time and I guess it’s just a question of being patient, identifying the problem and then doing something about it.

“I had a chat with one of the other triathletes who told me it happened to her last year as well and to try not to worry about it too much. But after what happened in Madrid, my race confidence going to Des Moines was not particularly good and it is pretty low at the moment as well.

“So now it’s just a matter of having the tests done and getting the results back as quickly as possible. I leave for the Pan Ams on the eighth of July and the race is on the 14th — so I haven’t got a huge amount of time.”

While obviously disappointed with her performance in Des Moines, it should be pointed out that almost half the women’s field failed to finish the race — with the temperature for most of the day being around 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

But while Duffy conceded the incredible heat did cause her problems like everybody else, she refused to use the oppressive conditions as an excuse.

“It was unbelievably hot and there were a lot of the top girls who failed to finish the race,” she said.

“But even still I know I can do a lot better than that and I certainly expect more of myself. Not finishing the race in Madrid was a major disappointment for me, so even though I wasn’t feeling that great and was well down the field, there was absolutely no way I wasn’t going to finish the race. It’s not something I ever want to do again (withdraw prematurely) if I can help it.”