So used to coming in behind perennial winner, Karen Smith, Flora Duffy did not even realise she had won the women's event in yesterday's Bank of Bermuda Individual Triathlon until told so minutes afterwards.

With Smith, the winner in the past four years, a shock absentee after failing to recover from a cycling accident the weekend before, the race appeared Duffy's for the taking despite the presence of top cyclist Julia Hawley.

Then at the 11th hour another challenger emerged in the form of Lynn Patchett - initially minus swim cap and goggles - and observers wondered whether there might be a tussle at the top.

Whether Patchett's appearance spurred on Duffy or not is not known, but the 15-year-old was certainly leaving nothing to chance and, along with Cora Lee Starzomski and Karen Madeiros, put in a fast swim to emerge among the leading men.

Patchett, meanwhile, was well down the field and facing an uphill struggle if she was to make inroads towards the leaders.

Duffy began to open up a gap on the bike with Starzomski and Madeiros battling for second and third and Hawley looking to bridge across in fourth.

By lap two, Duffy was well ahead and Starzomski was falling back. Hawley had overhauled Madeiros and Patchett was moving surely, but steadily, up through the field.

This is where the confusion crept into Duffy's mind. On a looped course it is easy to lose track of just who is where and for some reason or other she thought that Patchett was ahead of her.

Seemingly, in her own mind at least, set for another runners-up spot after a third and second in the previous two years, Duffy persevered.

She continued to put distance between herself and the rest, Starzomski, who it would later transpire lost her chain on three occasions, slipping down to third and Hawley moving up at her expense.

The run was a one-horse race, even if Duffy didn't realise it herself, with the only movement of positions coming between Patchett and Starzomski.

Speaking afterwards Duffy, who clocked 1:07:59, was pleased but somewhat nonplussed about her performance to begin with.

"I feel pretty good, I was pushing it pretty hard and I felt pretty tired throughout the whole race," she said. "The run was the hardest, it's the last one and you are pretty tired by then and my running is not that strong."

It was only when asked if she felt the absence of Smith took anything away from her win that the penny slowly began to drop.

"I did actually win?," she asked, almost incredulous. "I thought Lynn won. Oh . . . no? . . . Oh. . . This whole time I thought she was ahead of me.

"I thought I was in second the whole way. I'm really happy, oh my God. It's been a long time coming so I am glad I finally got it."

Second-placed Hawley (1:09:23) admitted the swim had left her too much to do in terms of catching Duffy.

"I am not swimming at all and I knew I would be minutes behind Flora," she said. "And I was not coming out here to win today to be totally honest. I am competitive but I figured Flora had it and certainly when we came off the bike and there was a minute and a half on the run between us . . . she's a good runner and I just wanted to keep it competitive."

Hawley said she was really happy for the victor.

"I think it's great," she said. "A young kid like that, 15, coming out and with her whole future ahead of her in this sport or whatever sport she picks. She has got to go for it."

Patchett (1:12:39) said she had no intention of taking part until the last minute.

"It was kind of a fun bet between Ricky (Sousa) and I. They grabbed me some goggles and I put a swim cap on for the first time in a while," she said. "I saw the conditions in the water weren't too bad so I thought I'd have a go and see how I went."

Patchett said she knew she would not be up with the leaders after the swim.

"I am not a swimmer by any means and actually it's the first time I have been in the water in about a year and a half," she said. "Some people do it for fun, some people are very competitive, I just went and took the day by how it went."

She said she didn't try to rein in those in front when the transition was made to the bike.

"I didn't take anything seriously today," she said. "I just went and stayed steady on the bike and if I had anything left on the run I thought I'd give it a go.

"I had no expectations and sometimes it's easier to go into a race like this and just support the event and that's what my intention was today."

Starzomski (1:14:05) had looked good for second until her bike problems.

"I lost my chain three times so three times I had to get off and stop and fix it," she said. "It made me angry but I just kept riding and I thought I'd leave it and see how the run went. For me, although I got passed, I had a great run. Considering the crappy bike I had I had a great swim and a great run so I am very pleased."

Ousted champion Smith, meanwhile, was gracious in losing her title, explaining that her road rash had not healed as quickly as she had hoped.

"The crash I had last week was a lot more serious than I had anticipated," she said. "All week I tried to get out and it was just too painful to train.

"I love this race and I felt really ready for it but there's always another race.

"And I am so happy for Flora. She has worked so hard and it's nice to see her win today - I am just so excited for her."

In the Junior Ultra Sprint Duathlon, Ricky Sousa Jnr took the honours among the top age group, men 13-to-14. He finished in 31:29 with Geoffrey Burns second in 35:37 and Aaron Fenn third in 38:02.

In the oldest girls' group, the 11-to-12s, Kaitlyn Miller came in first in 33:46, Ashley Fox second in 35:16 and Alyssa Rose third in 36:44.

Full results see Scoreboard, Page 24.