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Who has won the most Olympic medals in history?

Michael Phelps, 28. Boring.

Let’s make it a little tougher – who is the most decorated Winter Olympian of all time?

Norwegian cross-country skier Marit Bjorgen, who has 15 medals – eight gold, four silver, and three bronze.

I reckon that might gain you a point in the sports section of your next pub quiz.

Props to both competitors for their excellence over a number of years, but I think Flora Duffy takes the cake.

The 33-year-old triathlete made history this week when she became the first Bermudan to ever win an Olympic gold medal, dominating the 56-woman field to win in one hour, 55 minutes, and 36 seconds, more than a minute clear of Great Britain’s Georgia Taylor-Brown and USA’s Katie Zaferes.

Here’s the BBC:

With a population of just 63,000, Bermuda became the smallest nation or territory to win an Olympic gold medal at a summer Games…

Bermuda already held the record for being the least populated country to win a summer Olympic medal thanks to a bronze for boxer Clarence Hill in 1976 but now they have their first gold medal winner.

“It’s been a heck of a lot of pressure for five years,” said Duffy.

“I would never recommend being an Olympic favourite for five years. Of course it’s made it all worth it now.”

Duffy said that what makes the medal so special is knowing that “the whole of Bermuda is going crazy”, adding that she knew her dream of winning gold “was bigger than me”.

Now for what can surely lay claim to being one of the greatest trivia questions of all time:

To put into context the size of Duffy’s win, at 51 kilometres the triathlon event itself is longer than an end-to-end walk across the length of Bermuda (40km). It is 15 times smaller than New York.

The event itself is longer than walking from one end of the country to the other.

Phrasing the trivia question might be a little tough. I would go with something like ‘Which Olympian won gold in an event that was longer than walking from one side of their country to the other?’

Slightly wordy, but then you get to bust out your Duffy facts.

Hail Bermuda!

OLYMPIC GOLD FOR BERMUDA!!🇧🇲

Flora Duffy does the UNTHINKABLE and captures the Nation’s FIRST EVER OLYMPIC #Gold Medal at the Summer #Olympics!

What am achievement. #Tokyo2020 #Triathlon pic.twitter.com/zxZTOroJXq

— Jacob Pacheco (@JacobPacheco6) July 26, 2021

Duffy said the win may take a few days to sink in, and she was pretty understated on Twitter:

I can’t quite believe it.
Olympic Champion. pic.twitter.com/P6C0ZpaP6x

— Flora Duffy (@floraduffy) July 27, 2021

Duffy could have competed for Great Britain, with her mom growing up in Burnley and her dad from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, but said “I’m born and raised in Bermuda, that’s where my heart is”.

You can guarantee she’ll be forever remembered by the residents of the Atlantic island nation.

There’s also a South African connection. Duffy is married to South African triathlete Dan Hugo, and she spends most summers in Stellenbosch.

Another reason to celebrate.

[source:bbc]