Flora Duffy, the reigning Olympic Games triathlon champion, has provided an update on the knee injury which kept her on the sidelines for the entirety of the 2023 short-course season.

The Bermudian, who won the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo in 2021 and has plans to defend her title next season in Paris, shared that she was in “denial” at the start of the year with how bad her injury really was.

Now, following a long process of rehabilitation, the 36-year-old, who is based in Boulder, has said that she can now see some light at the end of the tunnel.

All eyes on Paris 2024 for Flora

Despite travelling to Paris in August with the hope of racing at the Olympic Test Event, Duffy didn’t start the race in the French capital. Having called an end to her season in September, Flora provided an update on her condition on Instagram.

“A very long overdue update. I decided to call my season in September as it was looking very unlikely that I would be fit enough to do any racing in 2023. I took a break, went home to Bermuda and enjoyed some time away from training and rehab, which was very nice!”

Confirming that her knee is on the mend, Duffy highlighted the great team that she has around her in Boulder and shared an optimistic message, stating that finally, things were starting to look a little more positive.

Duffy was ‘in denial’ over knee injury

“My knee is doing much better and I have a great team in Boulder helping me rehab. If I think back to January my knee was so bad, I was definitely in denial with how sore it was. It has been a process that’s for sure but I’m starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel.  I’m now back to some light training which I’m really enjoying – though it is very humbling being this unfit!”

Duffy, who has won back-to-back Commonwealth Games titles, as well as four World Triathlon titles, is seeking to become the first woman to ever win consecutive Olympic gold medals next year at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.