Carabin, Buttigieg win Xterra Malta

Malta hosted the opening race of the Xterra European Tour last weekend in Majjistral Park.

The weekend was abuzz with activity, as three events, including the highly-anticipated international triathlon,  hosted over 150 athletes from 20 countries on Saturday. 

A further 200 athletes took part in a 6km trail run, whilst 100 kids raced in duathlon and trail running on Sunday .

Xterra Triathlon welcomed professional and amateur athletes who experienced Malta’s natural beauty and heritage.

In the Elite Category, Belgian Sebastian Carabin (picture) was the fastest male athlete, whilst Malta’s very own Lara Buttigieg was the first female athlete to finish.

There were other excellent performances from other local athletes that included Josef Azzopardi, who was the fastest Maltese, and until complications on the bike route arose, Danica Bonello Spiteri was having a very strong race too.

In the age group category, Adrien Dransart and Gaelle Leduc were the fastest athletes in the male and female categories, respectively. 

The event also hosted a triathlon experience, aimed at attracting less-experienced athletes to offroad triathlon. The event saw a good mix of international and local triathletes taking part. 

Winner of this event was Lilian Sicard, followed by Maltese upcoming triathlete Kai Azzopardi in second place. 

In a statement, the organisers thanked all the authorities and local councils for their support, Red Cross for keeping the athletes safe, the sponsors Visit Malta, Garmin, Intersport, & Cisk Excel for their ongoing support and Nature Valley and The Cyclist for supporting the athletes.

The next XTERRA events will be trail runs hosted on May 7 in Għajnsielem.

Athletes can choose from an 11km, 21km and 50km distances which will all take place on the same day.

Registrations are open via this link – https://www.xterraplanet.com/gozo-trailrun