Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/550022
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 2 AUGUST 2015 53 Sport FOOTBALL TRIATHLON Man Utd launch new Adidas kit following €1 billion deal Manchester United have become the latest club to launch their new kit, the first of a record-breaking deal with Adidas worth €100 million a year MANCHESTER United yesterday unveiled their new Adidas home kit following the record breaking 10-year deal signed with the German sportswear manufacturer. The Red Devils announced the 10-year contract in July 2014 but could not release the kit until a 13- season deal with Nike expired. It is the first time Adidas has made United's strip for 24 years, with the club saying it was a "classic design" reminiscent of their shirts of the 1980s and 90s. It is the first strip made by the German sportswear manufacturer since they signed a 10-year, £750m partnership with the Premier League club. Before that United had been with Nike for 13 seasons. The new home kit, which will be debuted in the opening game of the season at Old Trafford, features a classic v-neck collar and three-stripe design down the shoulder. There is also a graphic design on the hem of the shirt taken from the 1990 shirt famously worn by Ryan Giggs in his debut season. Maltese triathletes shine in Italy TWO Maltese triathletes, Jude Zammit from Agones SFC and Mario Muscat from St. Patrick's AC, recorded impressive times in the AronaMen Triathlon in north- ern Italy. Recording a finishing time of 4hr 36min, Muscat confirmed his good form and consistent improvement and had a very strong bike segment in which he bettered his personal best time from previous middle distance triathlons he participated in earlier this year in Malta and Sicily. Zammit also recorded a very good time, finishing at 4hr 54min and placing 9th in his age category (over 50). This compliments his achieve- ments in his category this year hav- ing already placed 2nd in Sicily in April and 1st in Malta in May both middle distance championships. Both Muscat and Zammit are preparing for Ironman Barcelona in October and this race was part of their training programme se- lected by their coach veteran ath- lete David Galea. The middle distance interna- tional triathlon (covering a total of 112.9 km) event was held in the evocative Lago Maggiore region, Italy. The race was part of the Ital- ian national ranking champion- ship and saw the participation of their top athletes including their current favourites Massimo Ciga- na and Martina Dogana. Many other countries were represented namely from Germany, Russia, the US, Netherlands and the UK. Endurance races are known for their unpredictable nature the Lago Maggiore race was not with- out its share of complications with strong winds and currents forcing the athletes to use wetsuits despite the high water temperature. The heat also dominated the run section with temperatures over 32 degrees Celsius which was a problem to most participants who unlike the two Malta Triathlon Federation athletes are not accus- tomed to running in such condi- tions. The bike section included a fast start of 35km with the remaining 65km over very hilly and technical terrain with the most noticeable a stretch of 4.5km steep climb aver- aging 8.5 % gradient. Jude Zammit and Mario Muscat