The third race in this year’s triathlon series organised by Birkirkara St. Joseph Sports Club, scheduled for next Sunday, will include a relay team of persons with a disability. This ground breaking participation in the sport of triathlon coincides with the Paralympics 2012 in London.

Oliver Scicluna will take on the first segment of the race, a 750-metre open water swim. Oliver is a person who challenged his disability and broke each and every limit a person with disability faces. Over the years he practiced various sports including football, swimming, basketball, volleyball and athletics. However he excelled in break dancing, travelling to various countries, taking part in break dance workshops and competitions.

The 20-kilometre cycling segment of the triathlon will be in the hands of Noel Aquilina. Living with spina bifida and being also acrophobic, Noel tried his hands at different sports, and eventually settled for cycling following his three-day 318-kilometre cycle from Messina to Pozzallo in 2010. He also took part in a 15-kilometre race organised by the Malta Cycling Federation. His aim is to represent Malta at the Paralympics in Brazil in four years time.

Darren Vandit (photo) will be doing the final 5-kilometre run of the triathlon. Darren was introduced to athletics two years ago and his life was completely changed. His training regime and competitive prowess, shot him up among the top 20 distance runners in Malta in various events. His positive attitude and great mental strength, is the key to tackle life, helping him to keep strong at all times irrespective of the situations he is faced with.

This team’s aim is to complete the triathlon successfully, without setting any specific time-related goals, but rather to create awareness and encourage all those people with a diversity of abilities that in life – impossible is nothing.