National team triathlete and current Duathlon champion Keith Galea gave an outstanding performance in the 20-24 Age Group European Triathlon championships in Eilat last Friday.

He beat stiff competition to achieve first place in his Age Group category and a sixth overall placing, racing against 400 athletes in the male category, finishing in a time of 2 hours 5 minutes.

The European Triathlon championships took place in Eilat, Israel, in hot and windy conditions. Athletes had to cover a distance of a 1,500 metre swim, a 40 kilometre cycle and a 10 kilometre run.

Galea, commenting after the race, said that the swim was tough but he kept the leaders well in sight. The bike segment was technical and made tougher due to the strong headwinds, however Galea played a cautious game in order to save his energy for the run, which resulted in the second best time, in this segment, becoming the first Maltese triathlete to achieve such a result in the European championships.

Galea is currently benefiting from the 20/20 Sport Training Scheme offered by Kunsill Malti Ghall-Isport. This scheme enables public service employees to be released from work for up to a maximum of 20 hours per week to undergo professional training sessions in their sports in preparation for international sports competitions.

Current female Duathlon and Triathlon champion Danica Bonello Spiteri gained third place in her Age Group Category and placed seventh overall in the female category with a time of 2 hours 25 minutes competing against 99 seasoned athletes.

“We were confident of our athletes’ showing in these championships and they did not disappoint. Having a podium finish in both categories where Malta was represented is a great honour for our sport” said Cyprian Dalli, President of the Malta Triathlon Association. “One also has to note that our athletes did not have a ‘team’ to support them, due to the financial constraints that a small association like ours faces. This situation makes such results even more significant”.