Orkney Island Games 2025 – Gibraltar Triathletes Take on the Race of the Year

A team of 10 triathletes made the journey north to the Orkney Islands — a place we expected to be cold and windy… but race day had other plans.

On the day of the Olympic-distance triathlon, Orkney experienced record-high temperatures, drawing large crowds of enthusiastic supporters. It was especially uplifting to see so many fellow Gibraltarian athletes cheering us on from the sidelines.

The course itself was fantastic. We'd all been dreading the cold water swim, but to our surprise, the sea was warmer than expected, making for a pleasant start. The bike leg was fast and smooth, but the run — well, that infamous 1km hill we had to tackle four times certainly added to the challenge. Thankfully, the energy and encouragement from the spectators kept us pushing forward.

Our men's team of nine brought a strong mix of talent, experience, youth, speed, and sheer determination. We went into the event confident and hopeful of a podium finish — and we delivered.

Thanks to the combined efforts and times of Andrew Gordon, Robert Matto, and Philip Macedo, Gibraltar proudly brought home the Silver Team Medal. A huge achievement — and now, the benchmark is set for the Faroe Islands in 2027.

While the men gave it everything, we were also proud to have our sole female triathlete, Nicky Macedo, represent Gibraltar. With another cycling event the following day, Nicky raced strategically — going all-in on the swim and bike, then soaking in the crowd support during the run to conserve energy. She crossed the line in a commendable 10th place overall.

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