Maltese sprinters to set athletics track alight

In recent editions of the Games of the Small States of Europe, athletics has been our main source of success in terms of medals won.

Suffice to say that during the last GSSE, held in Malta two years ago, our representatives in Track and Field at the Matthew Micallef St John Stadium managed to scoop 18 of the overall 44 medals won by our country.

Malta managed 182 podium positions in 10 previous showings in the GSSE since the first one was held in San Marino way back in 1985. Athletics contributed with a significant 59 medals to the overall tally.

With the Andorra Games now only a few days away, the Malta Amateur Athletics Association are keeping their fingers crossed that their representatives will again produce another strong showing in track and field events.

The signs are encouraging.

During the recent National Championships at Marsa, various members of the Malta GSSE team in Andorra confirmed their rich vein of form with a spate of new national and championship records.

The sprinters were the ones who caught the eye most with no fewer than four records set.

Darren Gilford established a new national best in the 100m with 10.54 seconds before teaming up with Mario Bonello, Nikolai Portelli and Rashid Chouhal to shatter the 4x100m record, clocking 40.94.

Portelli proved that he will also be a contender for a medal in Andorra in the 400m, stopping the clock in a new championship record of 48.98.

Not to be outshone by their male counterparts, the women's 4x100m team, composed of Charlene Attard, Lara Scerri, Therese Mallia and Diane Borg, also bettered their national mark during the championships weekend to record a new best of 47.59.

Such results inevitably put a smile on the face of Malta sprinters coach Leandros Calleja. He could not hide his satisfaction at seeing his athletes reaching peak form just in time for Andorra.

"It seems that our preparations have been the most effective so far," Calleja said.

"Our training sessions were all focused on the GSSE and the indications show that we have done our calculations well. We can say that all our athletes in the selection will be in top form for the competitions in Andorra," he said.

Calleja, 25, has no doubt that the Maltese sprinters will return home with medals in their bags provided everything goes according to plan on the day.

"I have great expectations for Andorra," Calleja said. "We have very strong 4x100m relay teams. The foursomes are established now and they can easily challenge for the gold medal. Besides, I'm expecting at least a place on the podium in both men's and women's 100m races.

"Portelli stands a good chance of another medal in the 400m while the experience and power of Chouhal and Bonello bodes well in the 200 metres and the longer relay."

Such predictions sound slightly ambitious from a relatively new coach. But Calleja, who in his days on the tartan track competed in middle distance events, has managed to win the respect of all in the athletics fraternity with his professional ap-proach and dedication to the sport.

Calleja has worked hard to enhance his techniques. His career started at the age of 16 with Pembroke and a couple of years later he decided to cut off his ties with local clubs and become freelance.

His jovial character and enthusiasm during training has won the hearts of many athletes who showed their interest in having Calleja as their mentor. A couple of years ago he travelled to Kenya where he achieved the IAAF Level Two coaching badge.

Obstacles to clear

Although everything looks shine and splendour in the athletics scene, Calleja admits that there are several hurdles to be surpassed before Maltese athletes can aspire to compete at a higher level.

"I think the biggest problem for the MAAA is that of not having exclusive ownership of the facilities at Marsa," Calleja said.

"Unfortunately, the grounds are open for the public and it's not the first time that we could not do our drills to our liking because the track is overcrowded with people running during their leisure time.

"I think it is about time that someone addresses this serious problem... a remedy has to be found immediately. I'm not against a suitable track open for the public. The best solution is to have another venue and the Marsa facilities run exclusively by the MAAA."

In the last few years, athletics has seen a rise in participation, particularly in sprint events. Calleja believes that there is a need of having a broader base of selection and he called for more youth programmes to be introduced.

"We still have a lot of work to do to attract more numbers to the sport," he opined.

"The perception is that there are a lot of upcoming performers in athletics at the moment but in reality if one of the sprinters had to pull out injured it's hard on us to find suitable replacements.

"Schools and youth nurseries are doing a lot of good work but I feel that there aren't enough incentives to attract newcomers to the sport.

"The need of more nursery clubs, with training programmes for beginners to complement the ones already established, is of paramount importance.

"Besides, there's always the education system problem to contend with. It's always a great headache for us to try and convince authorities and head teachers to switch the exams time-table of some of our athletes so they can compete overseas. I guess, we need a more sport-oriented mentality in our society."

GSSE Athletics facts...

¤ Like swimming, athletics is a compulsory sport in GSSE. Malta was not represented in the 1985 Games in San Marino but two years later the athletics federation sent a token group of two athletes in Monaco - Gerald Degaetano and Christine Cassar Torregiani.

Degaetano won Malta's first medal in track and field in 1989 when he finished third in the 10,000m race in 31:21.04.

¤ Gerald Degaetano was again in the medals' zone in Andorra '91. On that occasion he won silver in 10,000m in 31:47.91. The other track and field medal won by the Maltese in 1991 arrived from the 4x100m relay team, composed of Deirdre Caruana, Marina Bonello, Filippa Peralta and Elaine Zammit. They were third behind Luxembourg and Cyprus.

¤ A significant progress in track and field was registered in the Malta '93 edition. Malta won seven medals with Deirdre Caruana placing second in the 200m and then teaming up with Marika Montebello, Elaine Zammit and Sandra Scerri in the 4x100m relay team to finish second. The other five medals, all bronze, were won by Carol Galea (800m, 1,500m), Jennifer Hickey-Pace (javelin), and the men's 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams.

¤ Carol Galea won Malta's first gold medal on the track in the 1997 Games in Iceland. She finished first in the 5,000m race and then was runner-up in the shorter 1,500m event.

¤ Without doubt, the best showing for track and field athletes in GSSE competition was the Malta 2003 edition. In all, there were 18 medals, four more than the previous Games in San Marino. The gold medal winners were: Carol Galea (10,000m), Rashid Chouhal (long jump) and Tanya Blake (800m, 1,500m).