Luca Vella, Sarah Demicoli share top billing in Salina

Birkirkara St. Joseph Sports Club host first Open Water Swimming Race for the year

Birkirkara St. Joseph Sports Club hosted the first race of the Garmin BSJ Open Water Swimming Championships in Salina on Wednesday 16th June under the auspices of the Aquatic Sports Association of Malta.

Amidst strict Covid-19 protocols, the eagerly awaited race, covering a distance of 2k, had a good turnout.

First to finish the race was Luca Vella. Vella shaved off eighteen seconds from his best time registered in last year’s Championships. He was followed by Sarah Demicoli, who was the first female out of the water and Bernard Sant. The trio swam nearly abreast for the majority of the race, only creating a slight gap between them in the final metres of the race.

Mark Zammit, who had been absent from races for a number of years, was the third male to finish the race. Following Demicoli on the female leaderboard was Maya Schembri Rodgers who only competed just the first race of the 2020 Championships. Her timing, compared to that of last year improved by six seconds. Nirvana Micallef was the surprise of the day, when she completed the top three placings list. Micallef’s performance saw her shave off nearly a minute from last year’s timings.

“It was great to be back in Salina, which is the unofficial home of our Club. Athletes are craving the opportunity to race and it could be very visible from the vibe on race day. We are extremely satisfied with their level of co-operation in terms of Covid-19 protocols for which they adhered to completely” explained Euchar Camilleri, Secretary General Birkirkara St. Joseph Sports Club.

Birkirkara St. Joseph Sports Club would like to thank SportMalta, the Health Authorities, Transport Malta, LESA and Naxxar Local Council for their assistance. Special gratitude goes to Garmin Malta for supporting this year’s Championships.

The second race of the Garmin BSJ Open Water Swimming Championships will take place at 1830hrs on Wednesday 23rd June in Salina.

Garmin BSJ Open Water Swimming Championships Results Males

1st Luca Vella (26:03)

2nd Bernard Sant (26:38)

3rd Mark Zammit (30:19)

Females

1st Sarah Demicoli (26:26) 2nd Maya Schembri Rodgers (28:32)

3rd Nirvana Micallef (28:38)