The Malta Canoe Union continued with its series of handicap races around Manoel Island last month - a distance of 8.5kms.
Canoeists start with time handicaps equal to the respective net time difference of the slowest participant. Theoretically, this sees competitors finishing together if the same level of performance is retained.
Iveta Leo, the only woman in the field of six kayaks, including two doubles, set off first. Craig Wightman, carrying a 1:40 handicap, overtook her half-way through the second lap.
Ex-triathletes, Joe Cremona and David Galea, in their doubles kayak (K2), had set off 5:42 behind. They applied a quick pace and stormed past Leo at the end of the second lap.
They battled on, keeping Wightman in their sights. Cremona and Galea caught up with him with just half a lap to go and powered on to finish in 54:06 - a significant improvement of eight minutes over their previous best time.
Wightman's bold efforts were rewarded as he finished in 59:20, having carved an amazing 3:52 off his previous best.
Leo was left on her own for a while... that is until the final stretch when Michael Gellel, 'fresh' from his third placing in the Gozo-Malta Triathlon the previous day, and Lino Fabri, pairing up with him for the first time to form the second K2 crew, began closing in on her. They had set off together with the other K2 crew.
Never one to say die, Leo fought them neck and neck all the way to the finish, which produced a dead heat.
Leo improved her time by 1:37, clocking 63:15 and confirming her rapid progress in the sport.
DeGaetano charge
Meanwhile, Peter Zammit, who had started off together with the two K2's, could not match their pace.
It was left to Gerald DeGaetano, given the mammoth task of neutralising an 11:37 handicap, to make any inroads into a runaway field. He ended up paddling for two whole laps in isolation before finally catching the hapless Zammit in the middle of the third and final lap.
DeGaetano's net time of 53:18 was the best recorded on the day and signified a modest improvement of 15 seconds.
The next race is on May 25 at Marsamxett harbour.