Tokyo (AFP)

Contested at times in dire conditions and under downpours, the Tokyo Olympic women's triathlon gave birth to a new scenario on Tuesday with the first gold medal in Bermuda history won by Flora Duffy and the best result of a Frenchwoman at the Games with 5th place for Léonie Periault.

The arrival in the Japanese capital of tropical storm Nepartak turned the race into a test of survival.

In this little game, it was Flora Duffy who proved to be the most skilful, completing her prize list at 33 with the only major title that was still missing from her rich collection.

This cross triathlon and long distance specialist, also double world champion in sprint (2016, 2017), was able to thwart the vagaries of the weather to open the counter at the Games of Bermuda, a small archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean of less than 70,000 inhabitants, and offer him a 2nd Olympic podium, 45 years after the bronze gleaned in Montreal by boxer Clarence Hill in heavyweight.

It took great courage to brave the torrential rains, which forced the organizers to postpone the start of the race by a quarter of an hour, initially scheduled for 6.30 am at the Odaiba nautical base.

The event was then held under an alternation of precipitation and calm, making the cycling part of this triathlon particularly difficult to negotiate.

In total, twenty triathletes failed to reach the finish line, including Frenchman Cassandre Beaugrand, who died after a little over 5 km on the bike.

- "Everything is possible" -

Flora Duffy, at the forefront almost from start to finish, managed to get out of the leading group in the run, ahead of Briton Georgia Taylor-Brown and American Katie Zaferes.

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"It has always been my dream to win at the Games and I hope my success will inspire my country and show that anything is possible," said the winner of the day, from a small island of 500 souls.

On the French side, the day after the failure of double world champion Vincent Luis in the men's category (13th), Léonie Periault (26) created a small sensation by finishing 5th.

"It just goes to show that I belonged," she said.

"A lot of people believed in me and I released the race that I had to get out at the right time. It was my day. We had prepared for hot conditions but in the end there was nothing all this. I even got cold at the start of the swim. However, the bike was a little dangerous and I was scared. "

What to fill up with confidence before the mixed relay on Saturday, a novelty at the Olympics and a real chance of gold medal for the Blues, triple world champions.

© 2021 AFP