The only way is up for triathlete Danica Bonello Spiteri after the Malta champion left her mark in the Spanish leg of the World Championship Series held in Madrid last month.

Bonello Spiteri produced a superb performance which saw her finish first not only in her own age group but also in the overall classification of the women’s race.

It was not an easy task for Bonello Spiteri as she exited out of the 1.5km swim in second place with a slight deficit from the leader.

Into the 40km bike segment, Bonello Spiteri surged ahead of the field and used some road racing tactics to drop her rival in the hilly part of the racecourse.

Despite struggling in the hot and humid weather of the day, Bonello Spiteri carried her advantage into the final 10km run to win her category and the overall female race.

Bonello Spiteri’s excellent performance earned her qualification for the International Triathlon Union World Championships which will take place in Auckland, New Zealand, at the end of October.

This was another prestigious result for Bonello Spiteri who earlier this year had managed to place third in her age-group in the European Championships held in Israel. Her next international assignment is participation in the Triathlon for the Small States of Europe which will be held in Luxembourg next month.

Maltese triathlete Margaret Seguna, who joined Bonello Spiteri in Spain, showed good progress as she finished in eighth place in her category.