Flora Duffy, the Bermuda triathlete, reflected on a roller-coaster eight years at the pinnacle of her sport after matching her best finish at a major Games in Lanarkshire yesterday.

Duffy admitted that she had to draw on every ounce of her experience to ensure she achieved her objective of a top-ten finish, placing eighth in a time of 2hr 2min 18sec on an atypically scorching day at the picturesque Strathclyde Country Park.

It was eight years ago when Duffy sensationally burst onto the international scene as a prodigiously talented 18-year-old, finishing eighth at her maiden Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

From the searing heights to the crushing lows, Duffy has seen it all during those intervening years, but she believes that yesterday’s polished performance was proof that she was back to her best.

“I’m really happy with my finish, as I knew I had a good one in me,” said Duffy, who led the race at one stage during the bike ride.

“It’s fair to say that I’ve definitely gone through a lot since 2006 and women’s triathlon is at a lot higher level than it was back then.

“Although I finished in the same position as I did in Melbourne, the reality is that today’s eighth place is a lot better than it was in 2006.”

Duffy’s content demeanour at the end of yesterday’s gruelling race stood in sharp contrast to the forlorn figure that suffered heartache at the London Olympics two years ago, when a bike crash destroyed her dreams of a top-ten finish.

That her parents, Charlie and Maria, whom she high-fived along the home straight, and brother Joel were in the crowd to lend their support made the moment all the more special.

“A top-ten finish was my expectation and a top-five, well, I would have been over the moon,” said Duffy, who has dominated this season’s Xterra Series, the earthier version of triathlon.

“I was especially pleased that my parents and brother were here. They were right down near the bottom, so I was able to give my mom a little high five.

“It was so cool for them to be here to see me do well; I was excited about that.

“There were actually a lot of people shouting for me. I guess either a few people knew me because I went to school in England or they were like, ‘Oh my gosh, she’s from a little island; we’ve got to cheer for that girl!”

Competing in a strong field, with seven of the world’s top 12 in action, Duffy had to recover from a sluggish start to the 1.5-kilometre swim, entering the first transition at the rear of the lead pack in sixth position, in a time of 19:45.

“I was really nervous about not being in the first swim group because at the end of the first lap, I was sitting right at the back of it,” said Duffy, who is more suited to the long-course than the Commonwealth standard distance. “Halfway through the second lap, the group started to split and, luckily, I was aware of that.

“Emma Moffat [of Australia] hammered up to that lead group and I just sort of hung on to her feet because I knew that was the race — I had to go into the red zone a bit.”

An aggressive start to the 40km bike ride suited Duffy, who forced her way into the position of race leader before being pegged back, completing the five laps in 1:24:11 in tenth place.

“On the bike, that first half lap was full on,” added Duffy, who finished the 10km run in 37:40. “I did my fair share of work as I’m a strong rider and it was nice to be at the front. I knew that I needed time ahead of the chasing group if I wanted to place well.

“It was a difficult course and there were a lot of sharp corners and tricky hills. In the run, I just did my best. It was hard out there.”

Jodie Simpson, of England, won the Games’ first gold medal, in a time of 1:58:56, ahead of Canada’s Kirsten Sweetland, who crossed the finish line in 1:59:01.

Vicky Holland rounded out the podium, finishing in 1:59.11 to give England a flying 1-3 start to the Games.