The second race of the three-part Eurosport BSJ 5k Road Running Series took place earlier last week in Mtarfa and welcomed nearly a 100 athletes.
Charlton Debono’s result proves he is on top of his game after his performance saw him not only win the race but also smash his own record, established back in 2018.
Debono, who after the race acknowledged that his objective was to improve on his existing record, led the pack from the word go.
The Gozitan runner maintained a comfortable distance throughout to complete the five-kilometre run in an impressive 15 minutes four seconds.
Behind him a close battle for second and third place ensued.
Young triathlete Malcolm Vassallo, fresh from a strong performance in the Sprint Triathlon race held the previous Sunday, had a very good start, leading the rest behind Debono. However, he had to contend with the more experienced runners the likes of Matthew Xuereb, Neil Brimmer, Imed Ben Moussa and Aidan Tanti.
The latter two had a duel similar to the one in the first race, but as the race progressed Xuereb edged his way to the front of the pack to take second place in 16 minutes 29 seconds.
Behind him was Brimmer, who secured his second, third placing of the series. Brimmer registered a substantial improvement over the previous race.
Tara Abdilla, winner of the last race, once again took the lead. She was the first female to cross the finish line, registering an improved time of 15 seconds in the process.
One minute and 13 seconds later, Francesca Arrigo, who placed third in the first race, pipped Carmen Hili to second place.
Arrigo beat Hili to the post with a 19-second gap.
Medals to the winners were presented by Birkirkara St. Joseph Sports Club president Raymond Grech at the end of the race.
The next event is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, August 11 on the Mtarfa ByPass at 7pm.
In a statement, BSJ said that athletes wanting to race are requested to register online via the club’s website, https://bkarastjoseph.com.
No Race registrations will be accepted on the day.
RESULT
MEN: 1. C. Debono 15:04; 2. M. Xuereb 16:29; 3. N. Brimmer 16:39.
WOMEN: 1. T. Abdilla 18:13; 2. F. Arrigo 19:26; 3. C. Hili 19:45.