In less than a year before making history as the first Maltese triathlete to make it to an Ironman podium, Birkirkara St. Joseph Sports Club Triathlete Michelle Vella Wood made history again by being the first Maltese triathlete to race in the Pro category of an Ironman 70.3 Race.
Racing in the first edition of the Ironman 70.3 in Gdynia, Poland, Vella Wood tackled a tough and technical course to finish 6th overall in the female category. Vella Wood competed against the likes of experienced pro triathletes Diana Riesler (GER), Kotfica, Paulina (POL), Ewa Komander (POL) and Erika Csomor (HUN).
Race day kicked off on a very grey Sunday morning with a 1.9km swim which took place in Gdansk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea, with Vella Wood exiting fourth out of the water nine seconds before Hungarian triathlete Erika Csomor. A flat, technical and windy 90km cycle through the outskirts of the city were followed by a hilly run through the city centre and along the coast by which time the weather had changed and temperature had risen well above that experienced at the start of the race. Vella Wood completed the race in sixth place overall in a time of 4 hours 58 minutes thus matching her best time in this distance.
“Racing at this level was a fantastic experience from which I have learnt immensely” , said Vella Wood. “This definitely has been a good learning curve in preparation for my next race which will see me compete against the likes of Natascha Badmann and Corinne Abraham at Ironman Vichy in France at the end of the month”.
Michelle Vella Wood is sponsored by BMIT Ltd. and Smart Light Co. Ltd. and supported by Mochika.
