It was double celebration for triathlete Joanna Calleja on Sunday. Not only did she place third in an arduous race but she found her boyfriend waiting for her at the finishing line on bended knee.

I was worried that my proposal would not be romantic enough

As family and friends cheered on, romantic boyfriend Dermot Galea, 30, from Mosta, went down on his knees and determinedly asked: “Will you marry me?”

Although still breathless from the race, Ms Calleja, 27, from Attard, did not have to think about it twice and gave a resounding “Yes!” as she burst out laughing. Mr Galea, who is the Malta triathlon national coach, had long been planning the surprise.

“It’s been a bee in my bonnet ever since I decided months ago that I was not going to take part in the race due to other commitments. Sports is our life, so I wanted to tie this in somehow,” he said.

So he decided to use the National Triathlon competition held in Salini on Sunday as the background prop to his proposal.

The couple’s love story kicked off at the St Aloysius sports track six years ago. “I joined the athletics group back then, and she was already a member,” he said, confirming that it was a love born on the sports field.

“So it was only fitting that that we seal it there,” he laughed.

Ms Calleja, a secretary, was completely taken unawares. However, according to Mr Dermot she had often given subtle hints that she wanted a “Romantic proposal”.

“But I had no idea what that meant – so I up till the last minute, I was really worried that it would not pass the romantic test,” he said. He need not have worried. When she caught her breath, Ms Calleja confirmed that he had broken the national “romantic record”.

The proposal on the finishing line set the scene for a new beginning as the engaged couple now plans their wedding day.

And if they’re short on venues, the running track would surely do.

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