Championships mark the close of local sprint kayak season

Nicola Borg Costanzi and Matthew Schembri raced under the patronage of G.S. Circolo Canoa Catania during the Italian championships which saw the positive results of their training.  In the 1000m sprint Borg Costanzi placed 2nd in her heat which meant she automatically qualified for the Final. Nicola had her sights set on a place on the podium and after a strong start she was in 4th place. With a tough race ahead, she closed off the distance between her and the athlete in third place however it was not enough to secure a medal. Nicola placed 4th with a time of 4”44”50 with gold going to Stefania Cicali with a time of 4”06”62.

Although not his distance, Matthew Schembri was determined to give a good performance and improve on his time in the Under 23, 1000m.  He placed 7th in his heat with a time of 4”33”53 which qualified him for the semi-finals.  Matthews strong start put him in the lead pack however he could not hold on to his position as by the 500m mark Matthew started to fade whilst  other athletes picked up their pace. the race was won by Nicola Ripadimonte in 3”38”09 whilst Matthew finished in 9th position.

The 500m was a faster event and saw Matthew become more comfortable with the distance as he had raced this distance in the World Championships earlier this summer and was well prepared. Once again, Matthews explosive start put him in a comfortable position however race pace was too high for him to maintain and he was nipped to 9th place in the final 100m, crossing the line in 2”14”17.  

In the 500m Nicki had a slightly stronger race where she narrowly missed out on a direct qualification for the finals when she placed third in her heat. She then progressed as far as the semii finals coming in 4th place, just missing out on a chance to race in the final race whichwas won by Alice Fagioli in 1”55”12.

Eager to put their previous disappointments behind them, Nicki and Matthew gave the 200m their all.  Matthew had a great heat and was determined not to be left behind.  He qualified for the semi finals after placing 7th in his heat with 47”52.  The semi-final was by far his strongest race as he shot out of the starting block and maintained his speed throughout. Unfortunately this was not enough and he was overtaken just 20m to the finish. He was extremely happy with his performance placing ninth with 44”57 as the level was quite high and it was far from an easy race. The U23 200m was won by Mauro Crenna in 36”39.

Although not her distance, Nicki wanted to push herself to make it to the finals. She made it through to the semi finals after placing 5th in her heat.  She gave the semi’s her all however the level of competition was too high and she had to settle with 4th place finishing in with 53”64, missing out on a place in the finals by one post. The final was won by Norma Murabito in 42”64.
 
The final races of the season were the Sicilian Regionals over 500m and 200m which saw Nicki and Chris Borg Costanzi and Chris Camilleri race, once again, under the colours of the G.S. Circolo Canoa Catania.

This was Chris Borg Costanzi’s first time competing outside of Malta however he was determined not to let his nerves get the better of him.  Although he didn’t have a strong a start as he is capable of, the 500m saw Chris pick up his pace as he manoeuvred between the two athletes who were attempting to cut across him.  Chris finished in 6th place which put him in high spirits for the 200m.  With tough competitors lining up on the start, Chris had quite a challenge ahead of him. He focused on getting a good start so as not to be left behind. Putting in a strong race, Chris placed 9th which left him disappointed but determined to improve on his performance in next year’s events.

Nicki Borg Costanzi also had an uncomfortable start in the 500m which put her at the back of the pack. However she was determined to improve and managed to pick up the speed quick enough for her to place 2nd.  Determined not to be caught out again, Nicki’s focus in the 200m was to get ahead in the start, which given the nature of the distance, is essential. Unfortunately, the start call was very unclear resulting in a late start. Although she managed to pick up her speed, it was not enough to secure a gold, placing a close 2nd.

After an especially long season, Chris Camilleri he was in high spirit and wanted to close off the season on a positive note. He did the 2nd best time from the field in the heats and made it to the final. The finals were a confusing event as a false start was not called in which resulted in certain athletes, Chris included, not getting the start they were capable of. Chris placed 4th overall, a result he was quite disappointed with as his previous performances have shown he is capable of a better result.

With these races came the end of a hectic season which provided many fruitful experiences for the athletes, who had to adapt to continuously changing racing settings and competitors. Lessons were learnt and improvements noted reaching a medal tally over the summer of 1 gold, 2 silvers and a bronze which were won in the Sicilian regional races, and a 4th placing by Nicola in the Italian championships.