While Jess Learmouth, Vicky Holland and Georgia Taylor-Brown are Workforce GB’s medal contenders, all eyes will probably be on Flora Duffy forward of the ladies’s triathlon.
Duffy has been extensively tipped to triumph, having received the ITU World Triathlon Collection in 2016 and 2017, a gold medal on the Commonwealth Video games three years in the past and 5 XTERRA world titles.
Her success at Gold Coast 2018 noticed her grow to be Bermuda’s first feminine Commonwealth gold medallist. Had been she to finish up on prime of the rostrum this time round, she would make historical past as the primary Bermudian to win Olympic gold.
Pushed, hungry and laser targeted, her mixture of expertise and prowess as a swimmer, bike owner and runner make her a formidable competitor. Having completed a disappointing eighth in Rio and didn’t make her mark in Beijing and London, she has some extent to show in Tokyo.
“This can be a one-day occasion the place all the things issues, from the final 4 – or 5 – years of your life,” she instructed triathlon.org earlier this month. ” It is huge, and you do not all the time get one other shot. This will probably be my final Olympics, I am not going to be going to Paris, so I am on the prime of my recreation and Tokyo is the day that issues for me.”
The triathlon could be a extremely unpredictable occasion, nevertheless, and sometimes defies its billing. Duffy has needed to overcome varied harm setbacks in recent times and completed fourth within the World Triathlon Championship Collection in Leeds final month, having made a gradual begin within the water.
“[In Leeds] I acquired hammered within the swim and needed to work my manner up the sphere,” she stated. “I did one of the best to bridge the hole and my bike was stable.
“I did not even suppose I used to be going to begin the race so I might be pleased with fourth. I used to be most fearful about my run however that was one of the best of the three segments. I needed to overcome fairly a little bit of adversity in that race and work for that consequence.”
Different opponents within the combine for medals embody Workforce USA’s Summer season Rappaport, Katie Zaferes and Taylor Knibb, whereas Swiss veteran Nicola Spirig and relative newcomer Maya Kingma – representing the Netherlands – might additionally find yourself on the rostrum. Reuters
