Dylan Cachia and Amy Micallef led the way in their respective categories on Wednesday afternoon during the first event hosted by Birkirkara St. Joseph Sports Club Garmin Open Water Swimming Championships.
Whilst the sea conditions at Exiles, Sliema were not optimal, with currents and jellyfish hampering the swimmers, the event welcomed a good number of swimmers, some of whom where making their debut in the sport.
Dylan Cachia, winner of last year’s BSJ Open Water Swimming Championships and multiple medallist at the recently held Games of the Small States of Europe took a comfortable lead ahead of the rest, leading the way throughout the 2km course. Following in second place was Luca Vella, who is no stranger to these championships. Closely behind Vella was the young Sam Camilleri, making his debut on the scene finished in third place. In the females’ category, last year’s Championship winner Martina Micallef had to contend with experienced swimmer Amy Micallef who took the lead to win the race ahead of Micallef. In third place was Kamilla Boross.
Presenting medals to the top three Male and Female winners were Aquatic Sports Association President Karl Izzo and Mark Gaglione, representing sponsors Garmin Malta.
“The choice of today’s location was based on swimmers’ feedback who expressed their desire to race in different venues. Whilst this makes it more challenging from a logistical perspective, we felt that in doing so it would a more interesting championship experience” remarked Euchar Camilleri, Birkirkara St Joseph Sports Club Secretary General, immediately after the race. He concluded by thanking Garmin Malta for their ongoing support, Exiles Waterpolo Club for giving access to the venue, the Ports and Yachting Directorate at Transport Malta, Sliema Local Council and the Aquatic Sports Association of Malta.
The Club will be hosting the second race of the Championships on Wednesday 5th July, with the venue to be confirmed shortly.
Registration can be done online – https://bsj.mt/event/2023-bsj-open-water-swimming-championships-race-3-2kms/
Garmin BSJ Open Water Swimming Championships – Race 1 Results
| Males | Females |
1st | Dylan Cachia (24:02) | Amy Micallef (27:27) |
2nd | Luca Vella (26:17) | Martina Micallef (28:15) |
3rd | Sam Camilleri (26:21) | Kamilla Boross (34:28) |
Official Results can be downloaded from this link – https://my.raceresult.com/248237/results