On a rainy Tuesday in Tokyo this August, Flora Duffy (Soc’13) crossed the finish line of the 2020 Olympic Triathlon one minute ahead of her competition, securing the first-ever Olympic gold medal for her home country of Bermuda.

Duffy’s story mirrors that of a comeback kid: The 33-year-old never finished higher than eighth in her previous three Olympic tries. 

Her revival was partially inspired by her decision to attend CU Boulder. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Duffy crashed her bike and dropped out of the race. She consequently left the sport and enrolled at CU to earn her sociology degree. 

“I wanted to go to college and knew Boulder was a great place for sports and particularly triathlon,” she said. “It gave me the option to get back into it if I wanted to, but I could also just enjoy life as a regular college student.”

In 2010, Duffy joined CU’s club cycling team. There, she forged new friendships with teammates who propelled her to train for another Olympic games. 

“It made competing fun again,” she said. “It motivated and inspired me to get back into triathlon and pursue it full time, once I finished up my studies.”

With support from teammates, Duffy trained for and competed in the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games before taking gold in Tokyo. 

She didn’t stop there. 

One month after the 2020 Olympics, Duffy took first place in the World Triathlon Championship Series, making her the first triathlete in history to win Olympic gold and the world championship title in the same year. 

Read a longer version of this story in CU Boulder Today. 

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Photos courtesy World Triathlon

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On April 17 the CU triathlon team added to its legacy by capturing its 11th national championship in Lubbock, Texas. It won the overall team title by 57 points over Army.

The CU triathlon club claimed the overall team title in USA Triathlon’s Collegiate National Championship in Lubbock, Texas, in April. In winning their first overall championship since earning three straight from 2003 through 2005, the Buffs finished first in the men’s competition and second in the women’s.

�䱫’s&�Բ�����;Cedric Wane (Math’10) placed second in the men’s overall race, while teammate sophomore Jessica Broderick was runner-up in the women’s overall standings and won the women’s undergraduate division. Broderick claimed the women’s overall title in 2009.

“When I became coach in 2008, I told the team they would work harder than any other team in the country and they’ll be the most prepared,” says head coach Mike Ricci. “From that point on, they came to practice every day, motivated to give 100 percent and to execute the workout as it was intended. There was a lot of sweat equity put into the last 18 months.”

The team has the most triathlon titles in U.S. collegiate history.

In other CU club sports, the freestyle ski team placed second nationally, while men’s hockey, women’s volleyball and men’s volleyball each finished third in national meets.

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