She produced a total time of 55.25 for gold in the Women's Individual (Sprint Distance) ahead of England’s Georgia Taylor-Brown (56.06) and Scotland’s Beth Potter (56.46).
Duffy, whose training throughout the season was impacted by COVID-19, successfully defended her title from four years ago in the Gold Coast edition of the Commonwealth Games.
She also won triathlon gold at the Tokyo Olympics last year.
Duffy finished the three-discipline event in a time of 1 hour, 55 minutes, and 36 seconds to win gold ahead of Georgia Taylor-Brown of Great Britain and Katie Zaferes from the USA.
“I can’t quite believe it. Olympic Champion,” Duffy remarked on social media, as she became the first person from Bermuda to win an Olympic gold medal. The country had previously gotten on the medal podium through the exploits of Clarence Hill, a boxer who claimed bronze at the 1976 Olympics. Duffy has taken them to the very top.
Her winning gold also interestingly makes Bermuda, with a population of approximately 62,000 people, the smallest country to ever win an Olympic gold medal.
“I think the whole of Bermuda is going crazy, that’s what makes it so special.”
Duffy, who also won gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2018, went into the Tokyo Games as the favourite to win gold and delivered.
“It’s been a heck of a lot of pressure, I would never recommend being an Olympic favourite but it’s all worth it now.”
Duffy, who topped the event at the Tokyo 2020 Games, failed to defend her crown but delivered an outstanding performance nonetheless. She stopped the clock in 1:56:12 for fifth, as Frenchwoman Cassandre Beaugrand won gold in 1:54:55.
Duffy, 36, demonstrated her prowess in the swim section, leading the group while skilfully navigating the currents. She was the first to switch to the bike, keeping a steady lead until the 40.0km mark, when she dropped to fifth. Despite her efforts during the run section, Duffy, who boasts the historic feat of being Bermuda's first Olympic champion, couldn't improve her position.
Hawley, in her first senior Olympics, also delivered a commendable performance. She slipped to 41st at the end in 2:02:55 after initially being up with the top 30 competitors at the swim segment.
However, the 26-year-old didn't have the most efficient execution in the bike segment and eventually fell further behind the pack.
Meanwhile, Caribbean men Matthew Wright of Barbados and another Bermudan, Tyler Smith, performed exceptionally in the men's event but also found the going tough as they finished 34th and 48th, respectively.
Wright, 32, making his Olympic debut, had ambitions of a possible top-20 finish but left it too late at the finish as he progressed from 42nd at the start to 34th. He completed the gruelling three-discipline event in 1:49:18.
Smith, 25, also a first-time Olympian, was up with the top 30 early, but lacked the endurance at the end as he finished 48th in 1:51:59.
Great Britain's Alex Yee won gold in 1:43:33.