Birkirkara St. Joseph’s international triathlete Dermot Galea crossed the finish line after racing for 2 hours 4 minutes and 46 seconds in the Choosemalta.com National Triathlon championships to mark his seventh title as the undisputed triathlon champion of Malta.
Dermot has set gargantuan tasks for himself this year and he is taking them all head on.
A victory in the local middle distance triathlon in May, a fantastic time in Ironman Switzerland in June, crowning himself Malta champion in October, and a go at grabbing the best Maltese time in an Ironman in Australia this November, is certainly a tall order.
Furthermore, he is in charge of the national Triathlon team and his club’s Triathlon section. Australia should be the icing on the cake for the local great triathlete, who should then have his sights on the mother of them all – Hawaii.
Now that the season has come to an end, Birkirkara St. Joseph has hailed its triathletes. The club had another memorable year both in participation and organisation, thanks mainly to the contribution of the members.
A special mention wentto another protagonist during this year – Keith Galea – who gave his champion brother a good run for his money. Beating Dermot in a triathlon (or anywhere else) is no mean feat. His final race may have been disappointing vis-à-vis the result, but it was an example of what we all believe in – endurance, perseverance and getting there at all costs. Had he decided to give up, he would have made us look small.
Finishing the race against all odds proved what himself and the club believe in – one hundred per cent commitment. Keith had an excellent season winning our Club’s triathlon series and open water swimming series.
A constant improvement was registered by the rest. Luke Bonnici slashed his finishing times by virtually every race, gaining valuable experience in the process. William Brydon and Mario Bugeja had a great time preparing for and during their Ironman endeavours.
Chris Iwanik relentlessly strove hard to place himself high in his category and George Vella also valiantly managed to sustain his form.
The female members were also a feather in the club’s hat. Experienced Michelle Wood was very consistent, while newcomers Johanna Calleja, who finished brilliantly her first Olympic Distance triathlon, and Yanica Chetcuti, took the sport to their heart.
All this would have been impossible without the assistance of the sponsors: Red Bull for their continuous support of the club’s Triathlon series, Nextweb for hosting the attractive website, the Ministry of Finance for the assistance through the Good Causes Fund, Mr Edward Vella of the Qawra Palace Hotel for providing the club with its equipment storage, the Kunsill Malta ghall-Isport (Malta Sports Council) to mention a few, without whose help triathlon within Birkirkara St Joseph SC could have hardly survived.
A word of heartfelt congratulations goes to all the Council Members of the Malta Triathlon Association. The Choosemalta.com National Triathlon Champions proved that the award the association achieved during the last presentation night of the Sports Writers Association was no flash in the pan.
The Association and Birkirkara St. Joseph linked up throughout the whole year in the organisation of more than 24 sports events, and the result could not have been better – the winner was Triathlon.