Africans dominate half marathon races in Almeria

Carol Galea, Malta's sole representative in the women's half marathon in Almeria, yesterday had to settle for 10th place after covering the 21-kilometre distance in 1:21.04.

In all, there were 18 runners taking part after a morning start on the penultimate day of the 2005 Medi-terranean Games which come to a close tonight.

A closing ceremony will follow after the football final between Turkey and Spain is played at the Mediterranean Games Stadium.

Galea, at 42 the most veteran in the race, was among the leading pack after the fifth kilometre but then Zhor El Kamch, of Morocco, started to increase her pace to open a gap in front with Italian Rosaria Console and Serbia's Olivera Jevtic behind.

At the 15-kilometre mark, Galea, a '97 Med. Games silver medallist in the marathon, was almost five minutes behind El Kamch, 32, who gathered more momentum in the crucial stages of the half marathon to finish a clear winner in 1:13.50.

Console, 27, was second in 1:15.40 and 29-year-old Jevtic third in 1:16.32. Four runners failed to complete the race.

Last February, Galea won her 12th Malta Half Marathon in 1:18.37. A repeat of that time in Almeria would have landed her a seventh place.

There was another African winner in the men's half marathon as Algerian Said Belhout took the gold medal with a final dash inside the athletics stadium in 1:05.01.

He outsprinted Moroccan Aldelkebir Lamachi (1:05.05) and Spaniard Chema Martinez (1:05.12). Twenty-six runners started the race. Five did not finish.

Meanwhile, the last Maltese athlete in action in the Games was long jumper Rashid Chouhal.

Last night, he finished 15th with a jump of 7.22 metres. France's Salim Sdiri won the gold medal after a leap of 8.05 metres.

France, Italy and Spain are the dominant nations in the medals table.

By late yesterday, the French led with 56 gold medals to Italy's 54 and Spain's 41. Overall, France won 152 medals, Italy 146 and Spain 145.

Turkey follow in fourth place with 20 golds and 72 podium finishes.

Malta's best performer in Almeria was Double Trap shooter William Chetcuti. Last Monday, he finished third in his competition to earn a second Mediterranean Games medal in shooting after the bronze of Em-manuel Abela in 1993.