Flora Duffy has suffered an injury setback after breaking her left hand while training.

The injury, a snapped fifth metacarpal — a connecting bone between the wrist and finger — occurred while swimming in Stellenbosch, South Africa, according to Duffy in a post on her Instagram page.

Despite the setback, the The two-times ITU World Triathlon Series World Champion is confident of making a swift return to full fitness.

“Broke my hand Saturday morning. Swimming. Can you believe it?!,” she said. “In the last 15m of a fast 400m my left hand hit the lane rope. My pinky finger got caught, pulled backwards and snapped my fifth metacarpal.

“Today [yesterday] I had surgery to repair the fracture. Luckily the recovery is quick and I’ll be back training in no time.”

Duffy is waiting to get her season under way after the postponement of ITU World Triathlon Abu Dhabi in an effort to reduce the spread of the Covid-19 virus in the United Arab Emirates. The WTS season opener was scheduled to take place next weekend on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, where there have been cases of Covid-19.

The postponement means that the focus of all athletes switches to MS Amlin World Triathlon Bermuda, with the The International Triathlon Union confirming the event go ahead as planned on April 18 and 19 despite fears over the spread of the virus.