Sasha Gatt delivered a sensational performance to secure her second gold medal at the Games of the Small States of Europe, winning the women’s 400m freestyle final in dramatic fashion.
The Maltese swimmer trailed in second place for the majority of the race and remained behind Iceland’s Snæfríður Sól Jórunnardóttir heading into the final 50 metres. However, Gatt produced a powerful late surge to overtake her Icelandic rival and touch the wall first with a time of 4:17.52, just 0.27 seconds ahead.
Jórunnardóttir was forced to settle for silver, while Lisa Pou of Monaco claimed the bronze medal.
This latest triumph marks Gatt’s third medal of the Games and her second gold, further underlining her status as one of Malta’s standout athletes in Andorra.
Meanwhile Michela Portelli added to the medal tally achieving a bronze in the 100meter butterfly.
Michela Portelli delivered a strong performance in the women’s 100m butterfly to secure a bronze medal for Team Malta, continuing the country’s success in the pool at the GSSE in Andorra.
Portelli clocked a time of 1:04.31 to finish third, behind two Icelandic swimmers. Jóhanna Elín Guðmundsdóttir took gold with a winning time of 1:01.48, while her compatriot Nadja Djurovic claimed silver in 1:01.93.
This result adds another medal to Malta’s growing tally and highlights the depth of talent in the national swimming team.
