Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/844299
52 maltatoday, SUNDAY, 2 JULY 2017 ATHLETICS TENNIS Positive results for Triathlon Malta in European Triathlon Championships IT was the fifth consecutive year of participation in the Eu- ropean Triathlon Champion- ships by athletes from the Mal- ta Triathlon Federation, which has made these championships a contact appointment on each season's international calendar and the tally of positive results and medals were once again in- creased during this years' com- petitions. For the first time, the European Triathlon Union opted for two different championships at two different venues in successive weekends. The Standard (Olym- pic) distance Triathlon Champi- onships were held in Kitzbuhel, Austria, while the Sprint dis- tance Championships were held the following weekend in Dussel- dorf, Germany. For the Maltese colours, it was the current Malta Cham- pion Hannah Pace who managed the best results as she claimed a Bronze medal in each of the championships in her age catego- ry. In Kitzbuhel, Pace challenged for the win until the very end of the race, where only a sprint fin- ish separated the top three fe- males in the category. This left Pace disappointed just after the race, however the Bronze medal and her fighting spirit took over and she went over to Germany the following week to claim an- other prestigious third place among some of the finest female triathletes on the continent. These latest two medals bring Pace's personal tally of Euro- pean Triathlon Championships to an impressive six medals in four years. Her first outing at the European stage was in Alanya, Turkey in 2013, where she won Gold in the Standard. Two years later she won the Bronze in the Sprint Championship in Geneva, Switzerland while last year it was a double Silver medal for her in both the Standard and the Sprint in Lisbon, Portugal. Just after the races, Pace report- ed that 'It is always a great feeling to take part in these European Championships as the atmos- phere is amazing! All along the routes you receive support form the spectators and you are racing side by side with athletes from all over the continent. The leading- up to this season had some set- backs, but I am very happy that I managed to be on the podium in both championships again and making my country proud'. Cyprian Dalli, president of the Malta Triathlon Federation ex- pressed his congratulations to Hannah Pace and the rest of the Maltese team in the champion- ships. He thanked the Maltese Olympic Committee for the funding towards the federation which made participation pos- sible and also the European Tri- athlon Union for holding such electrifying continental Cham- pionships. The rest of the team had some very positive results as well. Na- tional Champion Keith Galea ended his race in the Standard Distance in a very creditable sixth place while Michelle Vella Wood finished in a prestigious seventh place in her category. Also competing in the Standard Distance were Maltese Triath- letes Suzanne Farrugia and Ma- ria Vella-Galea. The next international ap- pointment for the Malta Triath- lon Federation will be this week- end when Hannah Pace, Keith Galea and David Agius-Lia will be competing in the Mediterra- nean Triathlon Championships which will be held in the Catalan sea-side resort of Altafulla. Hannah Pace at the European Triathlon Championship in Kitzbuhel Austria 2017 Nadal ready for big improvement on recent Wimbledon woes RAFAEL Nadal is adamant that he will not be discouraged by the mem- ory of recent Wimbledon woes as he prepares to follow up his landmark 10th French Open triumph with a third success on the sport's most storied lawns. Nadal spurned the chance of a warm-up tournament at Queen's Club to put less pressure on his body after his exertions at Roland Garros. He opted to fine tune his game in Mallorca instead. Now, Spain's two-times champion is determined to improve on a series of shock defeats he has suffered to unheralded opposition at Wimble- don since winning his last title in 2010 and reaching the final the fol- lowing year. Nadal lost to Lukas Rosol in the second round in 2012 when strug- gling with knee problems, Steve Darcis in 2013 (first round), the then new boy Nick Kyrgios in 2014 (fourth round) and Dustin Brown in 2015 (second round) before missing last year with a wrist injury. Yet he is adamant that the losses have not left a scar. "My motivation is always high in all the events that I play. If not, I am not playing," said Nadal, whose victory in Paris took his grand slam total to 15. "It's true that what happened with my knees in 2012 was more difficult (but) at the same time, it's true that in 2014 I played a good event when I lost in the fourth round against Nick. But I had my chances, too. "After that, last year I couldn't play (and) 2015 was not my year, of course. "Let's see what's going on this year. I know it's always difficult. I am ex- cited to be playing again here, in a tournament that I really love. But at the same time I tell you, it's a tourna- ment that you can go out very early. "But if I am able to go through at the beginning, I think I am with confidence. I am playing well since the beginning of the season, so let's see." This is somewhat of an understate- ment from the modest 31-year-old. Since reaching the Australian Open final at the start of the year, where only a dazzlingly rejuvenated Roger Federer could eclipse him, Nadal has won four clay titles. At times he has looked something near to his rampaging finest. Nadal confirmed that his coach Carlos Moya would not be attending Wimbledon with him but added that his uncle Toni would be part of his "great team". He sounded refreshed by his spell training at home. "It was great," he said. "I would love to have been playing in Queen's, obviously, but after the last three months and after what happened in Roland Garros, we de- cided that for my body it was better to have a slower change to the grass."