On a high after winning his sixth national triathlon title, Keith Galea took part in the grand final of the Sicily Triathlon Series a week later in Catania.
This race was the last of the season for Galea who was determined to end on a high note. The series, consisting of six races around Sicily, was Galea’s main target in 2016.
The race in Catania was a sprint distance triathlon comprising a 750m swim, 20km bike and a 5km run.
After regaining the leading jersey in the previous race, Galea had a good lead in the general classification and his intention was to administer his advantage in the final race.
He came out of the choppy sea in seventh place and a good transition enabled him to join a strong group of athletes.
This proved crucial for the Malta champion as the chasing group managed to reel in the front-runners after less than 15km.
At this stage, Galea used his experience to save energy for the run. The Birkirkara St Joseph athlete started the 5km run in fourth place but eventually moved up to third which was sufficient for him to be crowned champion of Sicily
A statement from the Malta Triathlon Federation (MTF) quoted Galea as saying that he was overjoyed with his performance and the overall victory as it was his main objective of the 2016 season.
“Being the first winner of this series is a great honour for Galea,” the MTF said.
“It was not easy at all as he competed with professional triathletes like Ennio Salerno, who a week earlier won the Italian National Team Triathlon Championships, Enrico Schiavino and Gabriele Grimaldi.”
Galea’s consistency in the Sicily Series was key to his overall victory. In the first race, he placed second overall in Pergursa and won the following race in Marzamemi.
In the third leg, held in Augusta, Galea placed fourth overall and in the fourth, in Ali Terme, Galea was ninth as he lost time on the bike to repair a puncture.
At this juncture, Galea was second overall in the general classification but in August, he produced a brilliant performance in the Etna Duathlon to finish third overall and regain top spot.
Galea, who benefits from the Flexi Training Scheme, thanked SportMalta and his club Birkirkara St Joseph for their financial assistance and the Malta Triathlon Federation for the constant support throughout this season.
He also expressed his gratitude to his coach Ivan Rozhnov, his brother Dermot Galea, his family and his sponsors Garmin Malta, BBB Cycling Malta, Jaycee Malta, Team Barry Malta International Challenge Marathon, Lucida Laundry and Starbene 24/7.