For the second year running, Agones SFC organised the National Cross-Triathlon Championship under the auspices of the Malta Triathlon Federation.
Cross-Triathlon is a multisport event consisting of offroad cycling and running segments. This year’s event, held earlier this month in Xgħajra, was sponsored by Garmin Malta and supported by Mochika Outdoor Life.
With the wind whipping up high waves in the hours leading up to the start of the race, the swim segment was scrapped as the conditions were deemed unsafe for the participants.
The race was converted into a duathlon, consisting of 1.6km run, 20km cycle and a final five-kilometre run.
It was last year’s champion, Shaun Galea, who clocked the fastest time in the opening run but unfortunately for him, the bike segment was plagued with technical problems which slowed him down.
Alan Borg and Ackerly Hili were neck-and-neck for most of the cycling segment and set off for the final run in an almost identical time.
Showing great form on the day, Borg held off Hili’s challenge with an excellent run to win the race and his first national championship.
Hili came in second ahead of Joseph Galea in third as Galea had to settle for fourth place.
“I had the perfect race today,” Borg said afterwards.
“I felt strong and confident throughout. After the first run, I joined the leading pack and challenged Ackerly Hili who was also very strong on the offroad course.
“Winning the title was very emotional for me after all the hard work and sacrifices.”
In the women’s race, Danica Bonello Spiteri dominated from start to finish, maintaining her lead in all three sectors of the race.
The experienced triathlete finished well ahead of the second-placed Lara Buttigieg who had to overcome problems with her bike to finish the race. Donia Micallef was third after good runs.
“I tried not to start too fast in the first run,” Bonello Spiteri said.
“On the bike course, I was doing really well but had a puncture after just four kilometres.
“I managed to remain focused and was feeling very confident as I’ve improved a lot on the technical aspect lately. I was also very happy for my team-mates, Alan Borg and Lara Buttigieg, for their important results.”
Joseph Zammit and Patrick Scicluna teamed up to win the team relay competition.
Meanwhile, in conjunction with the Malta Youth Triathlon Academy (MYTA), kids and youth cross-country races were held on the same morning as the National Cross-Triathlon Championship.