Graham Borg in action at the Barcelona triathlon.

Graham Borg (Birkirkara St Joseph) and Hannah Pace (Pembroke Athleta) joined thousands of triathletes last Sunday on the starting line for the Garmin Barcelona Triathlon, a top series in the Spanish calendar that attracts a huge number of professional and amateur competitors.

This was Borg’s first Olympic distance event in the professional circles as he raced against the likes of Olympians Mario Mola, Liam Lloyd and Cesc Godoy.

Pace was also engaged in a competitive field but she produced a very determined performance to classify second in a Sprint Race.

Borg exited the water in a time of 20:43. Racing in draft legal conditions, he held his own, completing the fast, flat course in 56 minutes, 10 seconds.

Borg registered a time of 37 minutes 48 seconds in the run to complete the race in 1:58.30, securing 16th place in the overall classification and fifth in the rankings excluding the Pro category.

Borg expressed his satisfaction at the end of the race.

“This was a tough race but I managed to improve, particularly in the run segment,” he said.

“My results here are the fruit of consistent and focused training.”

Spain’s Mola won the race in 1:42.55 ahead of Tom Zaferes (US, 1:43.29) and Godoy (Spain, 1:44.51).

Garmin-sponsored Pace completed her Sprint Race in 1:03.51.

Racing in very hot and humid conditions, she was second out of the water, one minute behind the leader.

Pace was superb in the bike course to register the fastest split time of the day. Although draft legal, she was at the front of the peloton and had to pedal for most of the distance alone.

With the run segment being undertaken under the scorching midday sun, and with the efforts of the bike taking its toll, Pace still finished the Sprint Race in second position overall for a prestigious podium placing.

Pro triathlete Maria Pujol Perez, winner of various titles in the sport, added another honour to her collection after coming home first ahead of Pace in 1:02.14.

Danielle Vermeulen was third in 1:08.58.

The participation of Borg and Pace at the Garmin Barcelona Triathlon was made possible through the assistance of Garmin Malta.

Borg and Pace’s international commitments resume in July when the duo will link up with the rest of the national team for the European Championships in Geneva, Switzerland.

“Hannah and Graham have always done the Garmin brand proud with their achievements, but in Spain they exceeded our expectations and we are very happy with the results obtained,” Mark Gaglione, Garmin distributor for Malta, said.