Keith Galea saw his dream come true on Sunday when he crossed the finishing line at the end of the 22nd National Championships at the Salina Coast Road.
Though not the winner of the race – that honour went to Britain’s Mark Sykes – Galea was a close second, with just 15 seconds separating the two. However, nothing could dampen the sheer delight of having grasped the Malta title which had eluded him for the past three years.
Danica Bonello Spiteri, on the other hand, though clearly pleased at having secured her ninth Malta title after having fended off a strong challenge from Britain’s Michelle Scott, romped home to a cheering crowd, well used by now to seeing her cross the finish line in first place.
It was a memorable day for the triathlon organisation which, for the first time in its history, saw 118 athletes participating in any of the three races held in collaboration with Birkirkara St Joseph Sports Club.
The Sprint Race (swim: 750m; bike: 20km; run: 5km) was won by John Scicluna in 1:08:37 and the first woman in was Margaret Seguna in 1:20:38.
The Relay Team event was open only for the Olympic Distance (swim: 1,500m; bike: 40km; run: 10km).
In all, 17 teams took part and the winning trio was composed of Ruth Zerafa, David Galea and Johann Galea. They stopped the clocks at 2:03:58.
The main emphasis to the championships, however, was the Olympic Distance Race.
The spectacular start of this event saw no fewer than 62 athletes dive into the placid waters of Salina Bay and head out into the bay.
Unsurprisingly, Mark Zammit exited the water first in 21:03. However, his lead over nearest rivals Sykes and Galea was quickly eroded away in the next two segments.
Sykes had the fastest cycle time of 59:26, followed by Galea in 60:26. The best run time went to Brian Magri, who covered the distance in 35:31.
Although he only managed the fourth best run time, Sykes went on to win the race in 2:02:57, followed by an ecstatic Galea in 2:03:12. Magri was third overall in 2:05:14.
Despite having a slower swim time than that of her closest rival, Bonello Spiteri powered to the front of the race in the cycle segment and continued to consolidate her advantage in the run.
Scott had the best swim time of 22:52, two minutes faster than Bonello Spiteri. At this stage, Donatelle Callus was lying in fifth place.
Bonello Spiteri had the best cycle time of 1:09:45 and went on to win the race in 2:24:55.
She was followed home by Scott, five minutes later. Callus, who was clearly catching up on the Brit, had to be content with third place in 2:30:53. The best run time went to Marica Micallef who did the 10km in 43:57.
The seniors’ race was won by Britain’s Bill Livingstone, from Venom Club, in 2:26:32. Another Briton, Niall Wass (2:29:05) was second and Richard Camilleri (2:30:20) third.
The Malta Tourism Authority invited Scott and Sykes to participate in the championship, while it also invited top officials from Japan’s leading magazine Triathlon to take part in the race.
The main sponsor on the day was Joseph F. Spiteri & Co.
The other sponsors were Quest Vitamins, Plum Tree Restaurant and Kristal Water.