Danica Bonello Spiteri (left) and Keith Galea have been crowned 2014 national triathlon champions. Photo: Trixie van der Kooi

It was truly a day of celebration for the sport of triathlon in Malta as 2014 reached an exciting climax with the National Championships, held last Sunday on a new route in Marfa and L-Aħrax tal-Mellieħa.

The National Championships attracted a record entry of 98 athletes, including a healthy number of overseas participants. However, the Maltese were up for the challenge, claiming a clean sweep in the main standard distance triathlon.

In the men’s race, Keith Galea, last year’s champion, took a decisive step towards retaining the title in the early stages of the swim segment.

Galea entered the first transition with a three-minute lead over second-placed Rudolph Agius.

Fabio Spiteri produced an impressive performance on the bike, storming to second place after clocking the best time in the cycle.

Into the concluding run, there was little between Galea and Spiteri but the former hung on to the lead he had established in the swim.

This was Galea’s fourth national championship as he capped a great year in which he also won the duathlon and aquathlon titles.

Spiteri was second and winner of the Over-40 category, while Agius finished third.

In the women’s category, it immediately became clear that the race was going to develop into a three-way fight.

While Hannah Pace exited the water in first place, Danica Bonello Spiteri and Margaret Seguna stayed hot on her heels as only 30 seconds separated the leading trio heading into Transition One.

Once on to the technical and challenging cycle segment, Bonello Spiteri pulled clear, building a half-minute lead over Pace.

Bonello Spiteri was unstoppable in the run as she cantered to her 12th national championship in 2 hours 18 minutes and 21 seconds.

Pace managed to cling on to second place besides winning the Under-23 category, and Seguna was third overall.

Other trophies were won by Jude Zammit and Suzanne Farrugia, in the Over-50 section, Donatelle Camilleri and David Galea in the Over-40, and Neil Markham who topped the Under-23 race.

Sprint Triathlon

In the sprint-distance race, held simultaneously with the main event, Briton Michelle Scott came home first while youngster Nina Zammit was second. Johanna Galea claimed the other spot on the podium.

The men’s race was won by Cliff Sultana ahead of Marlon Mallia and Michael Bongailas.

The age categories awards in the Sprint Triathlon went to Jem Lawson, of Great Britain, in the Over-60, Michele Granger, of Canada, and Pawlu Brincat in the Over-50, Kelvin Goodwin and Lucy Cutler, of Great Britain, in the Over-40, while Shaun Galea and Lara Buttigieg prevailed in the Under -23.

Mario Micallef, director of sport at the Maltese Olympic Committee, presented the trophies.

In a statement, the Malta Triathlon Federation (MTF) expressed its satisfaction at the event’s success and congratulated the participants, especially the winners.

“The growing number of triathletes in the country, the increasing number of foreign participants in the championships and the improved standards are a clear sign that the popularity of multisport in Malta is on the rise,” the MTF said.

The MTF thanked the main sponsors, BBB Bike Parts – Malta and The Cyclist Bike Shop, all those who supported the races, the Mellieħa Local Council and the Malta Police Force for their co-operation and assistance throughout the event.