Log In

Reset Password
BERMUDA | RSS PODCAST

Dame Flora Duffy targeting comeback

Dame Flora Duffy (File photograph by Ben Lumley/World Triathlon)

Olympic champion Dame Flora Duffy could potentially make a comeback from injury in May if all goes according to plan.

The 36-year-old did not compete in any race last year having undergone rehabilitation from a long-term knee injury that was initially diagnosed as a tear in her patella tendon.

Despite of her ordeal, Duffy, the four-times ITU women’s world champion and two-times Commonwealth Games champion, remains committed to making a full recovery and potentially returning to competition and defending her Olympic title in Paris, France, this summer.

“Best case, if all goes well from here, is to start racing in May and Paris,” Duffy told The Royal Gazette.

Duffy is ranked 33rd in the most recent projected Olympic qualification simulation, with 55 spaces available at the Games. The deadline to pick up points expires on May 27, and if she is to race that month her options include the World Champion Triathlon Series in Yokohama, Japan, on May 11 or the World Triathlon Cup in Huatulco, Mexico, a week later.

The Bermudian, who is also a six-times Xterra Triathlon World Champion, has endured her share of challenges in the battle to regain fitness and get her career back on track, and in an interview with this newspaper in September she outlined her struggles

“My knee has been a huge challenge, not without me putting a lot of effort in and consulting with doctors and physiotherapists,” she said.

It’s been difficult to find the correct rehab pathway, but I think now I’m starting to get a better idea of what is going on with my knee and what the correct rehab is.

“As an athlete you always want to be out there racing. You have those thoughts of well. if this is the end then I wasn’t quite ready for it, and maybe I could have done things differently.

“That’s a scary position to be in. I set out knowing I’m only going to be racing short course for one more year and I’ve already been injured for so long, that’s a scary thought.

“However, I know I can’t dwell on things because things are as they are and so it’s been a constant shift of focusing my attention on the present and not worrying about what is down the road because I can’t control that.”

You must be Registered or to post comment or to vote.

Published January 23, 2024 at 7:59 am (Updated January 23, 2024 at 8:20 am)

Dame Flora Duffy targeting comeback

What you
Need to
Know
1. For a smooth experience with our commenting system we recommend that you use Internet Explorer 10 or higher, Firefox or Chrome Browsers. Additionally please clear both your browser's cache and cookies - How do I clear my cache and cookies?
2. Please respect the use of this community forum and its users.
3. Any poster that insults, threatens or verbally abuses another member, uses defamatory language, or deliberately disrupts discussions will be banned.
4. Users who violate the Terms of Service or any commenting rules will be banned.
5. Please stay on topic. "Trolling" to incite emotional responses and disrupt conversations will be deleted.
6. To understand further what is and isn't allowed and the actions we may take, please read our Terms of Service
7. To report breaches of the Terms of Service use the flag icon