Hannah Pace produced a fine showing in the third race of the 2017 Sicily Triathlon Series held in Cefalu, Sicily.

The national champion, who this season has been competing in duathlon races with French team Brive Limousin, was off to a encouraging start in the wetsuit legal swim leg.

Despite having given particular focus to racing duathlons throughout the winter, Pace had a good swim, entering into transition in third place, one minute behind the leading female.

Confidence on the bike resulted in Pace catching up the second-placed triathlete in the early part of the bike leg, and by the third lap, out of the required six, Pace had caught up with the race leader and eventually opening a good advantage.

The hard effort put into the bike segment did not result in any setbacks for Pace who pulled off a solid run to cross the finish line in first place in a time of 58 minutes and one second.

“Lately my focus has been on duathlons,” Pace said.

“I have also changed the structure of my training in all three disciplines so I wasn’t sure what to expect, as I still feel that my body is adapting to this change.

“It was definitely a solid start to the triathlon season and a good build-up to the forthcoming European Championships, which will take place in June and where I will be competing in both sprint and standard distances.”

Pace thanked her sponsors Garmin Malta, Go & Fun Malta, Team Barry Malta International Challenge Marathon and the Malta Triathlon Federation.

Newcomer Celine Pace also took part in the race and placed first in her age-group.