Posted: October 13, 2004

Athletics: Lang and Vella Win Powerade Gudja 8k For First Time

By Paul Grech

The recent spell of mild weather has seen many athletes stepping up their preparation after the suffocating heat of the summer. This applies in particular to those who prefer longer distances and road running for whom stamina building training runs are of significant importance.

Given such circumstances and with the benefit of an early morning start, the Powerade Gudja 8k held last Sunday should have been the ideal opportunity for many of these athletes to test themselves and perhaps attempt a new personal best.

But instead, an overnight rise in both the heat and humidity levels meant that anyone with such plans had to postpone them to another day. And although the number of athletes who took part registered an increase from last year, few managed to record an improved timing.

That was certainly the case of Drew Lang, who finished the course in a time of 28.08 minutes, forty-six seconds slower than last year. Even so, it was enough for him to register his first victory in the event after twice finishing second and a third placing on another occasion.

With last year's winner and record holder Jonathan Balzan missing, Lang was always going to be the favourite to win. In fact, he even had an eye out on setting a new record.

"At the beginning I tried to go for the record but it was very humid and I realised that it was going to be difficult even to beat last year's time. So I then settled down to winning the race which was my priority."

"When you win you're always happy, so I'm not complaining."

Having opened up a healthy lead in the first four kilometres, Lang was then caught up by fellow St. Patrick's athlete Michael Gellel. The two kept up with each other for the next three kilometres before a final burst of speed ensured Lang of a first place finish.

However, Gellel was visibly pleased with his performance. "Last week I took part in the triathlon championships so I definitely wasn't expecting to do as well as I did today," he explained. "I managed to keep up with Drew for most of the race and that was very positive from my part."

Zurrieq Wolves' Noel Spiteri finished third with a time of 29.30. And overall, it was proving to be a very good day for Wolves' athletes who took up two of the top three places in the women's category.

If last year's winner was missing from the men's category, the women's section was bereft of the athletes who occupied to top two places last time round. This meant that there was an open field and it was anyone's guess as to who the winner would be.

In the end, it was Kathleen Vella who comfortably finished first in a time of 35.11. Having finished sixth last year with a time of 37 minutes, Vella was one of the few athletes who registered an improvement.

"I was expecting to do well," she said. "I've been training for it for a long time and knew who was taking part so I was confident of doing well. I've been improving in recent races so I knew that I was in form."

With a gap of more than three minutes over her nearest rival, ultimately, there was never any danger that Vella would miss out on the top prize making her first race in the colours of her new club Zurrieq Wolves an eventful one.

It was an equally eventful race for Katya Camilleri. The young athlete caused a surprise by finishing second and claiming the first honour of her career. At the end of the race, she admitted to having some extra help in the form of encouragement from her family.

"The route goes through the road where my mother lives so she was there to push me on. I had warned her to have some water ready as I knew that it was going to be very hot, so I had my own personal water station! It's very pleasing to do so well because I never expected such a result."

Last year, Rachel Galea (Zurrieq Wolves) finished third and with the two athletes who beat her missing, perhaps it would have been logical to expect some improvement from her part. However, she had to make do with another third place finish but wasn't too disappointed. "I finished where I though that I was going to finish. I didn't train for two months so I'm quite satisfied with my result.

The 4k organised for junior athletes and the fun run both proved to be entertaining affairs with the former being won by Ian Ellul (Zurrieq Wolves) in the boys' section and Roberta Schembri (Athleta Pembroke) finishing top among the girls. They were followed by Andrea Camilleri (St. Patrick's AC), Andrew Vella (St. Aloysius), Maria Sciberras (St. Patrick's AC) and Mona Lisa Camilleri (AS Libertas).