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MT 29 June 2014

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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 29 JUNE 2014 53 Sport MOTOGP TRIATHLON Marquez maintains winning form in complicated TT race MOTOGP World Champion Marc Marquez produced a masterclass in difficult conditions at the Iveco Daily TT Assen to make it eight wins from eight races in 2014, ahead of fellow podium finishers Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) - after an en- tertaining flag-to-flag contest. In a race which started after a de- lay due to wet conditions Marquez judged the 26-lap challenge to per- fection, running with Dovizioso at the front in the early stages and as- serting his authority as the riders changed to dry set-up machines on the seventh lap. Marquez eventually clinched the win by 6.7s seconds to become the first rider since the great Giacomo Agostini in 1971 to win the first eight premier-class races of the year. Dovizioso stepped onto the ros- trum for the second time in 2014, with Pedrosa completing the po- dium after holding off the pursuing Aleix Espargaro (NGM Forward Racing) for several laps. Espargaro rode well to hold fourth, having started on pole on the 'Open' For- ward Yamaha. Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) took fifth having shown great pace in the second half of the race, his problem being a late deci- sion to swap back from slicks to wets at the start. Rossi started from pit lane on wets, therefore, and recov- ered considerable ground before and after eventually the swap back to slicks. Andrea Iannone (Pramac Racing), Alvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Honda Gresini), Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech3), Cal Crutchlow (Ducati Team) and Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP) completed the top ten. Broc Parkes (Paul Bird Motorsport) rode superbly to 11th having started from pit lane following a problem on the warm up lap. Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech3) retired with six laps to go after crashes on slicks and then wet tyres. Positive results by Triathlon Malta team at the European Triathlon Championships THE Malta Triathlon Federation had a very positive weekend in Kitz- buhel, Austria last weekend where its contingent partecipated in the European Triathlon Champion- ships held in the Tirolean city. It was a record-breaking parte- cipation for Triathlon Malta as it fielded 8 athletes in the Standard (Olympic) Distance Triathlon, made up of 1.5KM swim followed by a 40KM of cycle on a highly- demanding and technical route and concluded with a 10KM run. The members of the team received a very warm welcome during the Parade of the Nations during the Opening Cerimony where they passed through the old-city centre of the lovely Tirolean resort behind the Maltese f lag. The highlight of the competi- tion for team TRI-MLT came from Danica Bonello-Spiteri who man- aged to claim a second place and a silver medal in her category. Bonel- lo-Spiteri has been showing bril- liant form all throughout the initial stages of the season and this augurs well for her partecipation in the Commonwealth Games this July. Keith Galea, Malta's other triath- lete to be included in the Maltese contingent for the Commonwealth Games has a very strong perform- ance as well and finished in 7th place in his category. Other National Triathlon Team members has solid performances too with Graham Borg, Michelle Vella-Wood, Hannah Pace and Margaret Seguna all banking posi- tive results. The team was also joined by Age-Groupers Suzanne Farrugia and Angele Cremona. Triathlon Malta's President, Cyprian Dalli, accompanied the team in Austria while also attended the European Triathlon Union's Annual General Congress which was held during the same week- end. 'It was a very positive weekend for Triathlon Malta on all aspects' Dalli said. 'Our athletes brought home some very positive results and we are proud of Danica's med- al. On the other side, we also feel accomplished that our networking at European level are being given due credit by our European friends from the European Triathlon Fed- eration. Our partecipation and our projects have been lauded and this augurs well for the continuation of the development of the sport in Malta'. The next very important schedule for Triathlon Malta is the parte- cipation in the Commonwealth Games later on in July, where Dani- ca Bonello-Spiteri and Keith Galea, accompanied by National Coach Dermot Galea, will be forming part of the Maltese contingent that will be take part in Glasgow. This will be a return for Triathlon Malta at the Commonwealth Games after an absence of 12 years. More information about the Malta Triathlon Federation can be obtained on the website www.tria- thlonmalta.org or on its facebook page https://www.facebook.com/M altaTriathlonFederation?fref=ts Danica Bonello Spiteri winner of the Silver Medal for her second place at the European Triathlon Championships 2014

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