It might have been a new style of swim-bike-run for Bermuda’s sporting hero, but Flora Duffy showed today that she will surely be a significant threat over the middle distance format at IRONMAN 70.3 South Africa.
We’ll get to see her race against the world’s best later this year in Taupo, New Zealand, at the 2020 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships. Between now and then, the small matter of Tokyo 2020 to think about.
Duffy clocked a winning time of 4:34:05 in the IRONMAN 70.3 South Africa.
No surprise to see Duffy in a league of her own in the swim, she’s typically seen at the front of every race alongside the likes of Jess Learmonth and Katie Zaferes. More than three and half minutes clear of Lucie Zelenkova, her advantage of Great Britain’s Emma Pallant in fourth place was a whopping 4:18.
The first 6km saw Pallant and Duffy matched almost second-for-second pace wise, while Jade Nicole was still holding second place but being caught. The pass happened around the 10km mark, by which time the Stellenbosch-based, pride of Bermuda was starting to also make up time on the British athlete.
With 5km to go the gap was down to a minute, and Duffy would show no signs of slowing, closing out her race with an impressive 1:20:37 run, which would bring her home two minutes ahead of Pallant who finished in 1:27:38.
PRO WOMEN TOP 5 FINISHERS
4:34:05 Flora Duffy (BERMUDA)
4:36:08 Emma Pallant (GBR)
4:41:17 Jade Nicole (RSA)
4:46:26 Natia Van Heerden (RSA)
4:48:39 Annah Watkinson (RSA)
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