Malta’s athletes were in action across two disciplines today, with athletics and lawn bowls both delivering drama and fine margins — and with more competition to come, the squad will be eager to build on today’s performances.
Athletics
Gina McNamara took on the now rarely contested classic one-mile distance, stopping the clock in 4’48.33. Finishing outside her national record, she matched the relentless early pace through the opening kilometre before the decisive move came with a lap and a half remaining. Despite battling all the way to the finish, the surge proved one step too far for her, crossing the line in 10th place after a determined performance.
Photo by Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images
Following his impressive qualification from the heats, Jared Micallef lined up in the second semi-final against some of the world’s finest 800m athletes. Determined to give himself every opportunity of reaching the final, he committed to the demanding early pace, passing 400m in 50.9s. He maintained his effort into the closing stages, but as the field accelerated around the final bend and into the home straight, he was unable to match the decisive finishing speed of the front runners, all of whom recorded times faster than his national record. He finished with a time of 1’48.24″
Lawn Bowls
In the morning, Connie Rixon claimed her first win of the Women’s Singles campaign, defeating the Falkland Islands in a thrilling tie-break.
Rixon got off to the perfect start, playing to comfortably take the opening set 10–4, however the Falkland Islands fought back strongly in the second set, producing crucial last bowls on each end to edge the set 5–4, forcing a tie-break.
The deciding tie-break was just as dramatic, with Rixon holding two shots before the Falkland Islands’ third bowl appeared to take the shot according to the marker. However, after an official measure, the decision went Malta’s way, claiming the shot and the tie-break to secure a well-deserved victory.
Photo by James Fearn/Getty Images
Later on in the afternoon a well fought contest between Rixon Australia’s Ellen Fife was under way in match where both players produced world-class bowls and matching each other shot for shot throughout. The opening set finished in a thrilling 5-5 draw, with neither player able to gain the upper hand. The second set had everyone on the edge of their seats as both women continued to play remarkable bowls under pressure. It all came down to the final end, with Rixon needing three shots to win the set or two to force a tie-break. Despite a determined effort, she could only secure one shot, going down 5-6.
Meanwhile, it was a disappointing match for Shaun Parnis and Troy Lorimer who got off to a much better start in their match against Jersey, claiming the opening set 5–1 with a confident performance. The second set followed a similar pattern early, but Jersey fought back strongly, edging out Malta 4–3 to level the match and force a closely contested tie-break, with both teams producing some quality bowls. Despite Malta’s determined effort, it was the Jersey pair who prevailed, taking the tie-break 2–0 to secure the match.
Tomorrow, Friday 31st July, judokas Katryna Esposito (-48kg) and James Zahra (-60kg) will be in action, with Esposito competing in the quarterfinals of the -48kg category and Zahra entering the -60kg elimination round of 16, both from 11am. At Scotstoun Stadium, Rachela Pace will compete in the Women’s Long Jump Qualifying Round (Group B), while at Lawn Bowls, Connie Rixon continues her Women’s Singles campaign against Jersey and England, and the Men’s Pairs duo of Shaun Parnis and Troy Lorimer face Guernsey.
