Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/561386
22 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 26 AUGUST 2015 Sport TRIATHLON SWIMMING Triathlete Hannah Pace storms to victory at Ironman 70.3 Budapest Pembroke Athleta and National Team triathlete Hannah Pace stormed to victory in her Age Group at the Ironman 70.3 race in Budapest, Hungary in what was Pace's first foray in endurance racing PACE'S result, in a hotly contested and highly competitive age group also saw her qualify for a coveted place at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Australia. Although cautious due to the fact that this was her first endur- ance race experience, Pace's re- cent improvement in swimming paid off, resulting in her being the third female to exit the from the 1.9km swim in Kopaszi bay, taking the better of some of the pro athletes racing the course. With a course battered with fairly strong winds, the weather conditions did little to hamper Pace's progress as she tackled the f lat, 90km cycle route. The nature of the bike course ensured that the race would be a very fast one, where the average speeds of 34.6km/h were reached. Transitioning into the run segment, Pace was still leading strong and ahead of some of the female pro triathletes. Pace's lack of experience in this type of race saw her start the 21km run segment a bit faster than should have but nevertheless Pace held her own to be the first in her Age Group. Pace's time saw her break the female National Record for an Ironman 70.3 race. "I am still overwhelmed with today's result. This is my first at- tempt at endurance racing, and whilst I was hoping for a good result, placing first in Age Group was not expected" said Hannah Pace, prior to the Race Prize Giv- ing ceremony. "I am grateful for the support my Club Pembroke Athleta give me and most of all grateful to my coach Dermot Galea, who inspired me to follow in his footsteps". Pace's participation was made possible through Garmin Malta, cfragrances.com, Go&Fun and Mochika Outdoor Sports. Participating in the Ironman 70.3 Budapest race were fellow Maltese athletes Josef Bonavia, Kenneth Camilleri, Nicholas Mi- callef, Kevin Muscat, Victor Sam- mut, Fabio Spiteri and George Vella. Hannah Pace at the 2015 Ironman 70.3 Budapest Prize Giving Ceremony Birkirkara St. Joseph Sports Club Malta Gozo Malta Swimming Championship takes place this Saturday Swimming Championship takes place this Saturday SATURDAY 29 August will see the annual Birkirkara St. Joseph Sports Club Malta Gozo Malta Swimming Cham- pionships take part. Seventy nine swimmers have qualified to under the 5.5k Gozo-Malta swim, whilst 10 swimmers will be undertaking the 11km Malta-Gozo-Malta Swim. The Race will also be welcoming a number of inter- national athletes, some hail- ing from far f lung places such as Australia. Malta's Open Water Swim- ming Champion Neil Agius will be undertaking the Mal- ta-Gozo-Malta Swim for the first time, whilst runner up Luke Camilleri Cuschieri and Female National Champion Sarah Demicoli will be under- taking the Gozo-Malta Swim. The 11-kilometre Malta- Gozo-Malta swim will start at Marfa at 6:30 a.m., whilst the Gozo-Malta Swim will start from Ras il-Qala at 8:15 a.m. The first swimmers will be expected to reach Malta at about 9:30 a.m. finishing at the Ramla Bay Resort Beach which will be all set up for this occasion. The race route will be closed for maritime traffic through- out the event as per Local No- tice to Mariners No. 57 issued by Transport Malta, through the Ports and Yachting Direc- torate. An AFM Patrol Boat and police sea crafts will be in attendance to ensure the safety of the swimmers, who will all be accompanied by an escort boat. Land and sea am- bulances will also be present. A presentation ceremony will take place immediately after the Race and will be pre- sided by the President of the Aquatic Sports Association of Malta, Mr. Joe Caruana Cur- ran. More information on this event can be found on www.bkarastjoseph.com