Running races do not get much harder than the World Mountain and Trail championships and Maltese athletes fared well among most of the world’s best 1,400 athletes in the stunning backdrop of Stubai, Innsbruck in Austria.

Team Malta performed admirably well in the Alps, placing 25th overall at the World Championships beating larger and mountainous nations in the process in an up/down 15km race with over 1,000m of ascent.

The Maltese male trio included Malta’s Mountain running champion Luke Micallef (Pembroke Athleta), fresh from a GSSE bronze medal, who placed an impressive 55th among top world-class runners, Simon Spiteri (St Patrick’s – 72nd) and Jake Fenech (Libertas – 110th).

Spiteri’s feat was remarkable considering that just a couple of days earlier he was also at the starting line for the 7.1km vertical race, producing a phenomenal uphill sprint finish and securing 71st place, beating in the process athletes from 27 countries, well-established in mountain and trail running countries like USA, Portugal, Norway, South Africa, Australia and Belgium.

Read full story on www.sportsdesk.com.mt

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