Birkirkara St. Joseph Sports Club Triathlete Rudolph Agius continues to dominate the long distance triathlon field in Malta when his performance in the Ironman 70.3 Middle East Championships held in Bahrain this weekend.
The Bahrain Ironman 70.3 race (1,9km swim, 90km cycle and a half marathon) saw athletes compete in fairly good conditions, with temperatures reaching around 23 degrees. Racing in the Male 40 - 44 Age Group, Agius was the first out of the water in a time of 27 minutes 13 seconds. The flat bike course, of which part of it can be found on the Bahrain International Circuit race track produced a fast race with Agius reaching an average of 41 kilometres. Despite moving down a few places in the Bike Segment, Agius, produced a fine run in the half marathon, which saw him register a 3.59/km pace and placing second fastest run time in the Age Group. Agius finished the 113 kilometre race in a time of 4 hours 6 mins 4 seconds. This time means that Agius registered a new National Record for the Ironman 70.3 distance.
Agius' final placing in the race was fourth in Age Group which earned him a qualification for the 2020 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Taupõ, New Zealand. Despite this qualification, Agius confirmed that he will not be taking part since his primary focus will be the 2020 Ironman World Championships held in Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i in October.