MOC hails Galea as most outstanding performer

There was an absolute consensus yesterday between MOC president Lino Farrugia Sacco and chef-de-mission Pippo Psaila as they singled out swimmer Angela Galea as the most outstanding performer for Malta following her second silver medal on Wednesday in the 100m 'fly.

Reflecting on the performances of the Maltese athletes on the second day of competition, where Malta managed to win four silver and four bronze medals, Psaila said he was also impressed with the medals won by Frans Pace in Trap shooting (silver), and by the women's 4x200m freestyle relay team who were surprisingly third in their race.

"Angela has been absolutely marvellous and inspirational," Psaila said.

"I've been in the sporting world for 28 years now but I have rarely encountered such a fierce competitor. Her mental power is exceptional and has pushed her to make giant strides forward. She was simply born to compete. Compliments also go to the relay team who regaled us with an unexpected medal," Psaila added.

Pace's contribution at the Bidnija ranges was also significant. Again, he has shown he is a top class shooter. He was up against one of the best Trap shooters in the world and was unlucky not to claim gold.

Psaila said: "I'm particularly happy for Pace because he is coming from a difficult year, but he showed his true mettle to claim a prestigious silver medal. No doubt, there is more to come from Pace in the coming years."

Psaila said he expected the judo squad to win a gold medal on Wednesday in the singles. However, he was still satisfied with the number of medals won in this discipline - two silver and three bronze.

Psaila also commended the performance of the women's volleyball team who are in a good chance of a podium finish. All in all, he said, Wednesday wasn't an exceptional day in terms of results but still a positive one.

Malta completed the day still in fourth place in the medals' standings and for the MOC that was encouraging even though San Marino and Monaco have significantly closed the gap on us.

From the organisational aspect, Psaila said the army of around 1,000 volunteers were all doing a sterling job.

"We owe these people a lot I suppose," he said. "So far, we stayed on the right track thanks also to their incredible support," he said.

Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco said the backing from the public was incredible and provided a huge inspiration.

"The Malta Games are truly becoming a national event, support coming from all sides. The sizeable crowds at our venues on Wednesday were exceptional," he remarked.

"I was at the University Sports Complex for a basketball match and the atmosphere there was electrifying to say the least. This proves that the Maltese are generally behind our athletes."

The MOC head was also delighted with the progress shown by our swimmers but still believes that more has to be done in this area for Malta to be more competitive in such events. On the other hand, he felt that something more may have been expected from judo, tennis and table-tennis up to this stage.

"The Games have now taken the usual pattern," he said. "Cyprus, Luxembourg and Iceland are the top three countries, a clear cut above the rest. Malta has now integrated with the second group in the GSSE, joining Monaco and San Marino, leaving Andorra and Liechtenstein behind us. This shows that we have progressed further in recent years.

Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco said the MOC should still not be content with what was achieved so far and must strive to ensure better pickings.

"It's difficult to compete with the countries in the top layer, but that does not mean we will not try. However, we can only achieve our goal if more money is invested in our sport. The Olympic movements at Cyprus, Luxembourg and Iceland have a much wider budget for sport, certainly much more than we can afford."