Spiteri, Wood battle elements to win titles

As he crossed the finish line at the National Duathlon Championship, Fabio Spiteri punched the air in delight and pronounced the words: "To my mother".

It was a moving moment for the triathlete who lost his mother last year and to whom he dedicated his victory.

His win, and that of Michelle Wood, were achieved after a battle not only against rivals but especially against the elements of nature which on Sunday, seemed bent on wreaking havoc on athletes and organisers alike.

The race started with a run of 5km, which saw three athletes come into transition roughly at the same time. These were Mark Zammit, making an unexpected return to the sport, in 17:16, followed by Spiteri and Brian Magri a few seconds later. At this stage, Keith Galea was fourth, and his brother Dermot fifth.

In the women's race, Wood upset pre-race forecasts by taking the lead from the start, reaching transition in 21:50, 30 seconds ahead of 2008 champion Danica Spiteri, while Karen Xerri, a newcomer, was third in 23:39.

In the cycle segment, Zammit pressed ahead, covering the 30km distance in 47:47, just one second ahead of Spiteri. In the meantime, Keith Galea had managed to overtake Magri to enter transition in third place.

Wood continued to consolidate her lead by registering the fastest cycle time of 59:14, almost three minutes faster than Spiteri. Xerri reached transition two minutes behind Spiteri.

It was the final run which was to determine the winner.

Showing great stamina, Spiteri managed to move past Zammit to finish the race in 1:15:58, covering the 3km in 10:46, the fastest time on the day. Zammit finished second in 1:16:20, a great boost for this young athlete considering that his forte is the swim. Third place went to Keith Galea in 1:17:23.

Wood went on to win the race in 1:35:11, over three minutes ahead of Spiteri as Xerri finished third.

The race for seniors was won by Magri in 1:19:05 and Marcelle Chircop in 1:49:50. The Relay Team event was won by the Galea duo, Johann and David, who had a combined time of 1:12:54.

The race was sponsored by the Naxxar Local Council and Kristal Water. The Malta Triathlon Association was also assisted by a team of volunteers and Birkirkara St Joseph Sports Club.