Dame Flora Duffy Earns Wildcard For 70.3 Worlds
[Written by Stephen Wright]
Dame Flora Duffy said she is “thrilled” to finally have an opportunity to compete at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship after receiving a wildcard.
Duffy’s hopes of qualifying for the event looked over after being unable to race at the Subaru Ironman 70.3 Mont-Tremblant in June due to her bike failing to arrive in Montreal from Denver.
The race was Duffy’s final opportunity to clinch one of three qualifying slots for the showpiece final in St George, Utah, on October 28.
Competing at the 70.3 Worlds has proven elusive for Duffy, who missed the events in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, in 2018 and Nice, France, the following year because of injury.
The race in 2020, for which Duffy had qualified, was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. She was eligible to compete last year in St George, Utah, but opted out due to exhaustion after winning the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
“St George bound!” Duffy wrote on Facebook. “Officially received an invitation from Ironman as a wildcard. Thank you for the opportunity @ironmantri – I really appreciate it and will do my best to add to the excitement of the women’s race.
“Truth is, I have been trying to get to the 70.3 Worlds for a few years now. I am really thrilled to get to finally start.”
