Balzan wins Palermo Half Marathon

Maltese athletics registered another success on foreign soil as Jonathan Balzan yesterday won the Palermo Half Marathon.

For the St Patrick's athlete, making his debut in a competitive event outside Malta, it was the perfect reward for weeks of hard work that were almost ruined by a niggling hamstring injury.

Before setting off for Palermo, Balzan had admitted that his aim was a finishing time of one hour and twelve minutes - equalling the time he set last year at the Zurrieq International Half Marathon. His prediction was spot-on as he finished the race with the clock marking 1.12.13.

Balzan has in recent years emerged as one of the leading local long distance athletes. Yet, despite a number of wins in road races, this is his first ever major success.

Earlier in the year, he had finished second behind Charles Cilia in the BMW Malta Half Marathon with a time of 1.10.19 after being outsprinted in the final 200m.

Over the course of the day, Palermo hosted three races over varying distances: the half, full and super marathons.

With organisation of these events being in the 21st year, they are widely considered among the best marathons in Italy, so much that Italian national television screened all events live.

Indeed the full marathon included the Italian Stefano Baldini, winner of the gold medal at the Athens Olympics held last year.

It wasn't the first Maltese success in Palermo as Carol Galea won the women's half marathon on two occasions in the past.