The first race from the ninth Birkirkara St Joseph Triathlon Series, held recently on the Salina-Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq Coast Road, attracted a record number of entries.
Thirty-two lined up for the start of this sprint triathlon in perfect conditions.
Race winners Mark Zammit and Michelle Wood confirmed their current good form with an excellent performance, beating the national champions in their respective categories.
The men's race was the closest one could ever get. It resulted in an hour-long duel between Zammit and national champion Dermot Galea for the top spot.
In the 750m swim, Zammit set a fast pace leaving the field in his trail by 44 seconds. He reached transition area in 10 minutes 51 seconds, to set off on the 20-kilometre bike segment.
However, Galea's cycling prowess astounded the race leader. He completed the distance in 30:30 to Zammit's 31:16.
Dashing run
However, the unpredictable Zammit turned in an astonishing performance in the final five-kilometre run.
He quickly returned to the driving seat and even managed to open what looked like an insurmountable gap on the national champion.
But with 100 metres to go, he again had Galea breathing down his neck in an incredible comeback by the BSJ champion.
Zammit found the power to react though and won the race by three seconds in a time of 1:45.00.
Brian Magri, who had the best time in the run, 17:02, finished third overall in 1:03.30.
The women's race was a one-sided affair with Wood dominating, particularly in the bike and run segments. She was third out of the water in 13:29, behind national champion Danica Spiteri (13:26) and newcomer Roberta Zammit (13:27).
Spiteri kept Wood well in her sight in the cycling segment, just 17 seconds separating them at the beginning of the final five kilometres run.
Determined to add a triathlon victory to her duathlon championship she won this year, Wood set a punishing pace, gradually increasing the gap between her and the champion. She ran the distance in 21:39, to win the race in 1:10.08, handing Spiteri a rare defeat by 70 seconds.
Donatelle Callus finished third in 1:14.37.
The next race in the BSJ series will be held on September 6 on the same route.