Team Malta has made an encouraging start to its campaign at the European Athletics Team Championships in Maribor, Slovenia, ending the first day of competition in fifth place out of 15 nations in Division Three.
Despite being without several top athletes, the Maltese squad produced a series of impressive performances across both track and field events, with young talent stepping up to deliver vital points.
Among the highlights was Rachela Pace’s dominant display in the women’s long jump, where she leapt 6.39m to secure maximum points for Malta. Pace’s result stood out as one of the best performances of the day across the division.
Middle distance runner Gina McNamara continued her excellent form, winning the 800m in 2:10.05, while Matthew Galea Soler clocked a superb 46.90s in the men’s 400m to claim second place.
All three athletes are scheduled to compete again today as Malta aims to climb the leaderboard during the final stretch of the two-day competition.
Malta’s women’s 4x100m relay team also contributed to the point tally with a strong third-place finish, recording a time of 46.99s in a competitive race.
After Day One, Malta sits on 184 points, matching the position the team achieved two years ago in Poland. Iceland and Luxembourg currently lead the standings, with Moldova close behind in third with 197 points.
The championships conclude today, and Team Malta will look to build on its momentum and potentially surpass its previous results in this growing European competition.
