Giordimaina gives champion wrestler a hard time
Canadians on top in triathlons
Jesmond Giordimaina was the last Maltese athlete in action on the last day of the Commonwealth Games in Manchester as he took the mat for his remaining 60kg freestyle category bout.
His opponent was none other than world champion and eventual Games gold medallist Giuvi Sissasouri of Canada who required a win against the Maltese wrestler to make sure of topping his pool.
Sissasouri did reach his objective but not with a pin-down as he was expecting as Giordimaina resorted to some effective defensive tactics to prevent his more quoted opponent from winning through a fall.
The Maltese veteran wrestler was rather unfortunate to be drawn in Pool Two with Sissasouri and a strong silver medallist from Nigeria. Had the draw pitted him in Pool One, which comprised more modest wrestlers, he would have probably made it from the preliminary round.
After a career spanning some 22 years, Giordimaina will now bow out of the competitive scene and concentrate on coaching the national squad.
Earlier in the day, Maria Mifsud Bonnici was Malta's lone performer in the women's triathlon. She covered the multi-sport discipline in 2:23.19 to finish 19th from 21.
Dermot Galea and Manwel Falzon then figured in the men's triathlon. In all, 34 athletes were on the entry list here.
Galea clocked 2:05.45 while Falzon was less than a minute slower in 2:06.39. Galea placed 25th and Falzon was 27th triathlete home.
Canada celebrated a golden double in the inaugural triathlon events at the Commonwealth Games yesterday when Olympic champion Simon Whitfield won the men's race and Carol Montgomery the women's.
Whitfield produced a storming finish in the concluding 10-kilometre run leg to cross the line first in one hour 51 minutes 57 seconds, just ahead of Australian Miles Stewart and New Zealand's Hamish Carter.
Montgomery collected gold in the women's race in 2:03.17 when she used her superior running skills to clear away from the pack, finishing 20 seconds ahead of Leanda Cave of Wales with Australia's Nicole Hackett third.
Triathlon made its Olympic debut in Sydney two years ago. The distances yesterday were: 1.5km swim, 41km cycling and 10km run.
Meanwhile, Maltese wrestler Abraham Vassallo placed sixth in the overall classification of the 84kg category out of a pool of 14 wrestlers. It was the best ever result for him in such a high profile competition.
The Maltese contingent, headed by chef-de-mission Marie-Therese Zammit, is expected home tonight although the shooters in the Malta group, including young prodigy William Chetcuti, who won a bronze medal in Double Trap on Thursday, were expected to arrive late last night.