Strong performance at the European Triathlon Championships

Hi Everyone

On the 22^nd June I was on the starting line of the European Triathlon Championships which were held in Kitzbuhel Austria. This year the level was really high with many professional athletes taking part especially in my age group. I knew it was going to be a tough race especially on the bike as it was very technical and hilly. My aim was to do a strong performance and getting as much higher as possible in the final placings.

The swim was set in lake Schwarzee. It’s a huge lake. In fact we had only 1 lap on 1.5km. I had a really good swim covering the 1.5km in 18.45, coming out of the water in 8^th place. I felt really good  in the swim and managed to stay with the main group. We had a long way to T1 and then we had to tackle the 40km hilly and technical bike course. The bike route was a bit dangerous as well. The roads were very narrow and difficult to skip other athletes. I had to be careful especially in the corners because with one mistake one can end up out of the course and badly injured.

I felt strong on the bike especially on the hills. Although it was dangerous, the bike course was simply amazing riding among those huge trees. I rode well covering such a difficult course in 1hr 12. I was a bit unsure on the run as after such a difficult bike, I was hoping that my legs were still fresh. The 9.5km run was a 2 lap route around the lake. It was an undulating route so it was not a course for a fast time. However my legs were in shape. I ran really well covering the 9.5km run in 34.40 which comes around 36.40 as 10km

I finished the race in 2hrs 12mins in a strong 7^th place in my category and 15^th overall from all Europe. It is a very good result which gives me great confidence for the Commonwealth Games. Now only a month left for the big day. I am back to my normal training schedule were I will be doing some race specific training in order to be in best shape of my life for such an important event.

I would like to thank my brother coach Dermot Galea, my swimming coach Catalin Stan, my parents and my wife’s parents for their support. Thanks so much to my sponsors Garmin Malta, BBB bike Parts Malta, Jaycee Malta, Malta Challenge Marathon, and Starbene Shop of Mosta for their support, my club Birkirkara St Joseph, the Malta Triathlon Federation and the Maltese Olympic Committee for their support. Last but not least, big thanks go to my wife Elizabeth for being by my side all the time leading up to such an important event for me. Here support is fundamental for me and without her I cannot produce such a great performance as I did. Here presence during races gives me so much comfort and strength that I will be able to express myself to the best of my abilities in races.

That’s all for now

Yours in Sport

Keith