Flora Duffy continues WTS dominance with win in Stockholm

Flora Duffy will be taking maximum points into the Grand Final in Rotterdam on 16 September, following her fifth win of the season in Stockholm (athletes are allowed to take their top four results into the final round). The reigning champ has been the one to beat since she rocked up to start her title campaign in Yokohama; Ashleigh Gentle the only one to do it in Montreal where Duffy finished second.

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The Olympic-distance race started with a two-lap 1.5km swim, split into 1,000m and 500m in a bid to string the group out and avoid the traffic jam that inevitably builds up at turn buoys.

GB’s Jodie Stimpson was back in the WTS mix, her first race since the Gold Coast in April due to injury. But it was teammate Jess Learmonth and Lucy Hall who led Duffy out of the water in front of City Hall. Stimpson had a great swim to exit in sixth but a false start meant an ITU official was waiting for her in transition. The punishment – a 15sec stop-go in the worst place possible, an agonising wait while the majority of the field collected their bikes and wheeled out onto the 10-lap 40km bike course. Completed, the Commonwealth gold medallist was tasked with a 32sec deficit at the start of the bike.