The first races of the flat water sprint kayaking season, organised by the Malta Canoe Federation, were held recently at the Vittoriosa Waterfront.

The 500m sprint saw local champion Chris Camilleri dash into the lead, closely followed by junior Matthew Schembri. Veteran Gerald DeGaetano held on to third place as Nicola and Chris Borg Costanzi fought to get ahead of each other.

By the 250m mark, the pace increased considerably and with the finish in sight, Camilleri sped off to claim first place with Schembri second and DeGaetano third.

In the women's category, first place went to Nicola Borg Costanzi. She finished ahead of Katrina Storace and Liz Grima.

The 5,000m race was quite tactical. Once again, Camilleri and Schembri dominated the proceedings as they pulled away from the pack.

Nicola Borg Costanzi and DeGaetano maintained the pace till the sharp turning at lap three's 500m mark. DeGaetano got past Borg Costanzi and took off in a bid to catch up with the leading duo.

The fifth and final lap saw paddlers gear up for the straight for home. Camilleri crossed the line in 26.11 followed by Schembri, 26.12. DeGaetano hung on to third place, 27.04, with Borg Costanzi claiming fourth place in 28.16. All four used Nelo kayaks for the race.

Peter Borg Costanzi, who opted for a Genesis sea kayak, finished in fifth place with a time of 30.50.

Participants then figured in head-to-head two-lane 200m sprints which was all about sheer power. Camilleri maintained his winning momentum as he finished first overall with a time of 42.80 while Schembri had to settle for the runner-up spot in 45 seconds ahead of DeGaetano, 52 seconds.

It was a close call between the Borg Costanzi siblings as Nicola produced a time of 56.30, while brother Chris did the race in 56.80.

Relative newcomers Simon Gauci, Liz Grima and Kat Storace took the final three places in the 200m race.