More records tumble at Tal-Qroqq

There were three more records and a number of close shaves by the Maltese swimmers competing on the last day of the 12th Easter International Age-Group Meeting at Tal-Qroqq National Pool yesterday.

Pride of place again went to 16-year-old Kyle Scerri who made further inroads in the 100 metres freestyle when breaking the national record set two years ago by John J. Tabone.

Scerri clipped 18 hundredths of a second off that mark when clocking 55.77, a time which was also inside his own Age-Group record for the 16/17 years category. This swimmer's current fine form was again underlined when he broke the 50 metres 'fly Age-Group record he himself set earlier this year.

His time of 27.16 was just shy of Tabone's two-year-old national record of 27.15. On Friday Scerri set national marks in the 100 and 200m fly.

Thirteen-year-old Melinda Sue Micallef, another Neptunes' swimmer trained by Gail Rizzo, was the other Age-Group record-breaker yesterday morning. She erased the name of Christine Cachia who had clocked 1:04.93 in 1997 in Category 'C' when she stopped the watches on 1:04.78.

There were numerous other fine performances from the Neptunes, Sliema and Sirens youngsters, some of whom came very close to breaking several long-standing Age-Group records... a clear sign that something is moving at the base of this sport.

The next commitment for the top squad will be the Berlin International Meeting next weekend with the group being made up of Angela Galea, Davina Mangion, Neil Agius and Scerri.