Jonathan Balzan sealed his fourth victory in the Malta International Challenge in impressive fashion yesterday as Joelle Cortis completed a Maltese and St Patrick’s double by winning the women’s race.
Buoyed by his two first-place finishes in the opening two legs of this three-day marathon, held in Rabat and Birżebbuġa, Balzan secured top spot in the overall men’s standings by winning the final 25km race from St Paul’s Bay to Valletta in 1 hour 30 minutes 32 seconds yesterday.
A jubilant Balzan, who has won the Malta International Challenge for three consecutive years, raised four fingers to indicate his number of triumphs in this event as he approached the finish line at City Gate yesterday.
Balzan’s aggregate time was 2hrs 29mins 28secs, over three minutes slower than his winning time last year.
Johan Galea took second spot in the overall classification.
The Mellieħa AC runner pipped 2007 winner Brian Magri to second place after finishing second behind Balzan in yesterday’s concluding race in 01:31.39 for an aggregate time of 2hrs 32mins 2secs.
Galea will have been delighted to have forced his way into a podium position as he started yesterday’s race outside the top three placings.
Magri, of Pembroke Athleta, trailed then second-placed David Mansbridge by one second going into the final race but he still had to content himself with third place overall after clocking 01:34.03 yesterday, over two minutes adrift of Galea.
Cortis, 23, showed that there is more to her than her pretty looks. The St Patrick’s athlete, who was recently crowned Miss Malta, followed up her second-stage win in Birżebbuġa with a decisive victory in yesterday’s race, clocking 1hr 49mins 41secs for a combined time of 3hrs 1min 16 seconds.
Cortis’s strong run yesterday relegated Hiroko Ogawa to second place in the overall classification. The Romania-based athlete, who had a 30-second lead over Cortis going into the final race, placed second yesterday in 1hr 51mins 7secs (aggregate time 03:02.12).
Carmen Hili, of St Patrick’s, claimed third place with an overall time of 3hrs 6mins 31secs. In yesterday’s race, Hili, a four-time winner, finished third in 1hr 53mins 49secs.
Cortis succeeds Marisa Muscat as the winner of the women’s event in the Malta International Challenge.
Top finishers
Men: 1. J. Balzan (St Patrick’s) 02:29.28; 2. J. Galea (Mellieħa) 02:32.02; 3. B. Magri (Pembroke) 02:34.00.
Women: 1. J. Cortis (St Patrick’s) 03:01.16; 2. H. Ogawa (Ro Club Marathon) 03:02.12; 3. C. Hili (St Patrick’s) 03:06.31.