Charlton Debono, Tara Abdilla lead the pack
The Eurosport BSJ 5k Road Running Series made a welcome to the Mtarfa course, when the first race of the 2022 season kicked off on Tuesday.
The anticipated return of this off-season race attracted some of the best names in athletics with Charlton Debono and Tara Abdilla leading their respective packs.
Debono, who has won the race several times and holds the current course record, had a strong start with a slight gap ahead of other race contenders.
As the second lap started the gap narrowed and Debono had Alexander Vizzini, James Sciriha, Matthew Xuereb, Mario Grech and George Vella vying for a better place in the front.
The first three runners to cross the finish line were Debono, Vizzini and Scirha who crossed the finish line practically together.
One second separated Debono and Vizzini, with Sciriha crossing the line ten seconds later. The latter’s performance was notable, having ran close to Debono for a good part of the race.
The final sharp turnaround saw Sciriha lose second place when Vizzini overtook him. Sciriha’s third place saw him claim his first podium for the Mtarfa Series.
Tara Abdilla, winner of several previous editions of the Series was offered a serious challenge by Rachel Borg.
Abdilla and Borg ran neck to neck for a good part of the race, however, Abdilla increased the pace towards the end to finish thirteen seconds ahead of Borg.
Marija Cumbo completed the females’ podium in third place.
Birkirkara St Joseph Sports Club president presented medals to the podium winners at the end of the race.
In a statement, the club expressed its gratitude to Eurosport Malta, Transport Malta and the Mtarfa Local Council for their support.
The Eurosport BSJ 5k Road Running Series is held under the auspices of Athletics Malta
The second race of the three-part series returns on July 12.
Registration can be done online: https://bsj.mt/event/2022-bsj-running-series-race-2/
