UnderwaterMalta
Malta isawonderful island,not
least at this timeof yearbefore
thecrowdsarrive for summer’s
packageholidays.Valetta isa
fascinatingcityand thereare
secretswaiting tobediscovered
aroundprettymuchevery turn in
the road.Those roads,by theway,
arebusyyear-roundbut there’s
alwayspeaceandquiet tobe
found if you’rewilling toventure
off dry landand into theMed.
Underwater,Maltahasanother
worldonoffer: caves, shipwrecks,
rock formationsandan
abundanceof sea life.Thereare
plentyof fanswhodescribe the
warm,bluewatersaround the
islandas thebest for snorkelling
anywhere inEurope.
For thenovice,perhaps the
place tostartwouldbe the
famousBlueLagoonon the little
islandofCominooff thenorth
coast: shallow, calm, clear and
easy tonavigate.Thediving’s just
asgood,and thereare reliable
schoolsandguidesall overMalta.
Noneed tobuy,or evenpack,any
gear: snorkellingequipment’son
salealmost everywhereand
divingequipment canbehired
by thedayor theweek.
visitmalta.com
Pitstop&Spa treat
It’s anexcitingmonth for petrolheads. If you loveFormula 1, areheading toBarcelona
andhaven’tmadeplans, youmightwant to start now: theSpanishGrandPrixwill be
takingplaceat theCircuit deBarcelona-Catalunyaon9, 10and 11May.The race
happenson theSunday, precededby twodaysof practiceandqualifying.The circuit
wasbuilt back in 1991, part of Barcelona’s reinventionas a sportsdestinationahead
of hosting the 1992OlympicGames. It’sbeen the site for somememorableduels, not
least betweenAyrtonSennaandNigelMansell. For Spanish fans, 2006andCatalunya
will forever holdprideof place in the collectivememory: that summer, FernandoAlonso
became the first Spanishdriver ever towinhishomeGrandPrix.
Meanwhile, classic car fansmight prefer aweekend inBelgium,where theSpaClassic
ishappeningon 16, 17and 18May. Sports cars, single seaters andhistoric carswill
rattlealongoneof the country’smost spectacular racing tracks,whichwends through
theArdennesmountains.
tickets.circuitcat.com, spa-classic.com
the ticket
On track
At the2012Summer
Olympics,Dorcus Inzikuruwas left behind in the
steeplechase field.Yet just being inLondonwasa
remarkableachievement.ArguablyUganda’s
greatest-ever femaleathlete, Inzikuru first
madehermarkasabronzemedallist in the
5000mat the2003Afro-Asiangames.Two
years later, shebecameUganda’s first-ever
WorldChampionon the track,winning
steeplechasegold in2005 inHelsinki. It
wasno fluke: in2006, Inzikuru followedupwithgold
at theCommonwealthGames inMelbourne.Marital
problems,health issuesandmotherhood
intervenedsoonafterwardsandshe took
twoyearsaway fromcompetitivesport.
The roadbackproved longandarduous.
Inzikuru’sgoal now is reinventionasa
marathon runner.You’dbe foolish to
writeoff theambitionsof anAfrican
heroinewithagoldenpedigreematched
onlyby thesheer forceof herwill.
the knowledge
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FLYto
brussels
frommorethan50europeandestinations;
barcelona
threetimesdaily;
entebbe
threetimesweekly;
malta
twiceweeklyfrom 15june.
brusselsairlines.com
extra time
the athlete
words
tomwatt
