Dame Flora Duffy has praised the Bermuda athletes for their excellent displays on day one of the Carifta Triathlon, Aquathlon and Mixed Team Relay Championships at Clearwater Beach on Friday.

Duffy witnessed the island’s up-and-coming stars collect eleven medals and amass 127 points in the aquathlon.

Addressing the young athletes at the official opening ceremony held at Grotto Bay Beach Resort & Spa, the retired Olympian spoke with pride.

“You might have noticed that Bermuda has a triathlon history and you all are adding to that,” Duffy said.

“What I witnessed at the aquathlon was amazing. I loved seeing you all cheer for each other, race hard, have fun and with big smiles on your face.

“That was just so special to watch and I really look forward to watching you all race on Saturday.”

Duffy, who retired in July, reminisced about her early days racing on island, with Clearwater Beach holding a cherished place in her heart.

“I just wrapped up a 20-plus year career racing at the highest level,” she said.

“I think I had my first triathlon at Clearwater Beach, where some of you raced, so it’s particularly special for me.”

“I have subsequently done many triathlons there. As you can see from Team Bermuda, we’ve got a really great triathlon programme here and it’s wonderful to see that there’s many other countries out there in the Caribbean that also have great triathlon programmes.”

Reflecting on her glittering career, the Tokyo Olympic gold-medal winner urged the youngsters to keep going and continue growing.

“If I look back on my career, there’s a quote that stuck with me that I would like to share with you,” the national icon added.

“That is, ‘don’t focus on being the best, focus on being the best at getting better’. I really liked that quote and it resonated with me throughout my career.

“It forced me to focus on the details and focus on the processes that help me get better, versus focusing on the outcome, winning this race, finishing on the podium, but what can I do so that I can be the best version of myself at each race.

“That can be as simple as working on your swim technique or focusing on running biomechanics or your fuelling or whatever it might be.

“Perhaps it’s learning to ride in the rain so that maybe on the biggest day of your career [it doesn’t hinder you]. For example, for me the Tokyo Olympics, I woke up and it was pouring with rain, but it didn’t faze me because I’d worked on those skills.

“I was comfortable riding in the rain and it helped me win an Olympic gold medal. When the coaches tell you to focus on these things, it’s really important and they do help you win races.

“I think you just get better, hopefully, that helps you enjoy the sport and stick with the sport for many years to come. Maybe one day I will be watching all of you take part at the Olympic Games.

“Being from a small island does not mean we can’t go on to race at the biggest stage to winning medals at the Olympics, to winning world championships, whatever that is.

“So I hope you really take that to heart. I hope you really believe it and I look forward to seeing where your careers go.

“But firstly, I really look forward to watching you race on Saturday, enjoying it, digging deep, racing hard and most of all, having fun.”