Maltese land 11 medals in UK event

An impressive haul of 11 medals - one gold, five silver and five bronze - was achieved by Malta's national gymnastics teams in an international competition held in Great Britain recently.

The level of this event was high, based on the FIG code but the Maltese gymnasts, confident and determined to do well, were up for the challenge.

Malta's team medals were won in this order: girls' senior team - silver; girl's junior team - silver; boys' junior team - bronze.

In the individuals' event, Francesca Borg clinched bronze medals in Beam and Bars and two silver in the Vault and Floor.

The gold medal was won by Christina Borg in the Vault with Roxanne Bonnici claiming bronze. Christina Borg also achieved best score on vault in her category.

In the individual all-rounders, Francesca Borg gained another silver, Jeremy Saywell landing bronze. Certainly, one important factor behind this success was the sterling work of the coaching staff of the national teams.

Two of the Malta Gymnastics Federation (MGF) senior gymnasts, namely Charlene Magri and Ryan Sammut, acted as judges during the competition together with qualified officials from Austria and UK. Magri judged both A and B on Vault whilst Sammut judged B on Bars.

The excellent performance by the Maltese gymnasts in the UK competition underlines the commitment and hard work of the MGF to promote the sport and to prepare local gymnasts for overseas competitions.

This was not an easy task due to limited funds and facilities but the precious help from the Parliamentary Secretariat for Sport, the Malta Olympic Committee and parents made it possible for the gymnasts to participate in the UK.