Flora Duffy Day – October 18, 2022, history, significance
Flora Duffy Day is celebrated on October 18 every year in Bermuda. This national holiday was instituted in honor of Dame Flora Duffy D.B.E., a Bermudian triathlete. She was honored for winning a gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Hers was the first gold medal for Bermuda at the Olympics. Duffy holds several records and titles, winning them in close succession. She made Bermuda the smallest country to win a gold medal at the Olympics with her performance.
HISTORY OF FLORA DUFFY DAY
Flora Duffy Day is celebrated annually on October 18 in Bermuda. This public holiday is celebrated across the country in honor of the Bermudian triathlete Dame Flora Duffy D.B.E. Duffy is an exceptional athlete who won Bermuda’s first gold medal in history at the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2020. Bermuda also became the smallest country in the world to win a gold medal at the Olympics, thanks to Duffy’s success.
Duffy’s gold at the Tokyo Olympics was not her first time competing. An accomplished athlete, Duffy has competed in the International Triathlon Union (I.T.U.) World Triathlon Series and the I.T.U. Cross Triathlon. She has also competed in the XTerra World Championships multiple times and the Commonwealth Games.
The 2020 Olympics was not even her first Olympics. Duffy competed as a triathlete in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio De Janeiro. She then participated in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, where she won her gold medal as a triathlete.
In all her Olympic Games, Duffy represented Bermuda. At the Tokyo Olympics, Duffy was already a favorite to grab a medal. She speaks about realizing that the medal was bigger than her, as she knew the hopes of Bermuda were resting on her.
Duffy was under an incredible amount of pressure in the five years leading up to the 2020 Olympics. At the Olympic triathlon, Duffy competed against 56 other women and won with a time of one hour, 55 minutes, and 36 seconds. Her time was more than a minute ahead of medalists Georgia Taylor Brown of Great Britain and Katie Zaferes from the U.S.A.
FLORA DUFFY DAY TIMELINE
1987
Flora Duffy is Born
Flora Duffy is born to her English parents, Charlie and Maria Duffy, on September 30, 1987.
2018
Duffy Wins Gold at the Commonwealth Games
Flora Duffy wins the first gold medal of the XXI Commonwealth Games in Australia for the women’s sprint triathlon.
2021
Flora Duffy Day is Instituted
Bermuda’s Minister of Youth, Culture, and Sports requests the President to institute October 18 as Flora Duffy Day in honor of her gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
2022
Duffy Appointed as Dame Commander
Dame Flora Duffy is appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire at the New Year’s Honors in 2022.
FLORA DUFFY DAY ACTIVITIES
Make a video for Flora Duffy
A great way to participate in the celebrations honoring Duffy is by making a video. Congratulate her, state what she and her achievement mean to you, and share the video online.
Visit the Flora Duffy Stadium
It is a great time to visit the National Sports Center Southfield Stadium, renamed the Flora Duffy Stadium. Head over to the stadium and consider all the work Duffy put into winning her medal.
Watch the celebrations online
From motorcades to concerts, many events are organized in honor of Duffy. Settle in to watch the live broadcast or the recordings on this day.
5 FACTS ABOUT FLORA DUFFY THAT WILL SURPRISE YOU
She has a B.A. in Sociology
Flora Duffy studied abroad at the University of Colorado Boulder and graduated with a B.A. in Sociology.
She won three triathlon titles in 2016
Duffy won the ITU Cross Triathlon, Xterra, and World Triathlon Series titles in the same year.
She’s a six-time Xterra winner of Xterra
Duffy won the Xterra World Championships in 2014, 2018, 2019, and 2021.
She has a fund for athletes
In 2018, Duffy launched the Flora Fund for athletes in Bermuda to support them in their ambitious dreams.
She is a record-holder
Duffy holds the record for the largest winning margin in the Olympic and Sprint races in a World Triathlon Series event.
WHY WE LOVE FLORA DUFFY DAY
We think Flora is inspiring
Flora Duffy is an incredible athlete and a great source of inspiration. We want to take this day to celebrate her and her outstanding achievements.
We want to support athletes
We think that athletes do incredible work representing their countries. We’re impressed by their dedication to their sport and want to encourage them.
We want to share our admiration
Flora Duffy brought the gold home for Bermuda as a whole and carried the weight of an entire country’s hopes. We love that, and on this day, we want to share how much we admire her.
