Less than perfect weather conditions did not deter local canoeists from competing in the annual Manoel Island Races held last Sunday. In its 17th year, the race continues to attract kayakers of all levels to the starting line.
Races were split into three categories, namely elite, sea kayaks and doubles kayaks. All divisions had numerous competitors which goes to show how the sport continues to grow locally.
The first event of the day was the long standing 10km race which showed stiff competition as top athletes fought for the winning spot. With 17 kayaks lined up at the starting line, there was no doubt that it would be a rush for the lead to avoid the bottleneck at Manoel Island Bridge.
The male elite category saw Christopher Camilleri fight for the lead with a time of 14 minutes 55 secs in the first lap with Gerald Degaetano hot on his heels only a few seconds behind him.
Junior elite athlete Matthew Schembri was not far behind with a time of 16min18 on the first lap. The woman’s elite category was represented by Nicola Borg Costanzi who rang in a first lap at 18min.
The sea kayaks category saw Robert Pullicino take the lead in the first lap with a time of 19.17 mins, fighting off the advances of Albert Gambina and Joe Borg who were only a few seconds behind.
The final lap saw Christopher Camilleri defend his title as National Champion, registering a best time of 45.45mins for the distance in the history of the Manoel Island Races. Gerald Degaetano gave Camilleri a good fight for the title coming in 13 seconds later with a time of 45.58mins to place second. Matthew Schembri showed a remarkable improvement of 7.53mins over last year, placing him third with a time of 49.31.
Nicola Borg Costanzi came in at 54.52, smashing all other best times in her category as well as coming in a considerate time before the majority of her male competitors.
In the sea kayak category, it was a battle for the lead as newcomer Albert Gambina overtook Robert Pullicino placing first and second with times of 58.34 and 58.50 respectively. Joe Borg followed closely with a time of 59.41.
The second event of the day was a 3km doubles race with eight paddlers competing in pairs namely Christopher Camilleri and Matthew Schembri, Peter Borg Costanzi and Nicholas Valenzia, Craig Wightman and Joe Borg and Alex Rizzo and Danica Mallia.
Camilleri and Schembri immediately took the lead in an Olympic class racing kayak and maintained their position crossing the finishing line with a time of 15.58.
Second place went to Borg Costanzi and Valenzia who came in at 15.12 and third place was won in a time of 24.13 by Wightman and Borg who competed in a Canadian canoe.
The 3km fun race was won by Nicola Borg Costanzi with Luca Pace placing second with times of 18.12 and 19.27 respectively. Rookie canoeist Chris Borg Costanzi showed considerable potential by placing third with a time of 19.34.
The day ended with a 200m sprint which was the first time this distance was included in the event. Christopher Camilleri placed first once again with a time of 43.86 seconds followed by Gerald Degaetano who placed second with 49.70. Matthew Schembri sprinted his way into third place with 50.56.
The Malta Canoe Federation thanked all those volunteers and members who have contributed to this successful and enjoyable event. For further information on future federation events visit www.malta
canoefederation.org.