Martina Xuereb yesterday became one of the youngest GSSE track and field medal winners ever for Malta after finishing second in the 400m race at the Andorra la Vella city stadium.
Xuereb, 14, was not the only medal winner for the athletics team though as Rashid Chouhal and Rebecca Camilleri were both second in their respective long jump competitions while Nikolai Portelli finished third in the men's 400m race.
But, the most notable achievement on the track came from Xuereb who produced a superb race over the one-lap distance. She was only preceded on the finish line by Alissa Kallinkou, of Cyprus, who clocked a clear 55.04 seconds. Xuereb's time was 57.89.
Malta's other runner in the 400m final was 15-year-old Lara Scerri. She was a whisker away from the a place on the podium, finishing a mere 0.7 of a second behind Cypriot Ramona Papioannou (58.10).
"I still can't believe that I've won a silver medal," Xuereb told The Times. "When I came here I thought I could only challenge for a third or fourth place. This achievement is a great bonus for me.
"I think I owe this success to my coach Mark Farrugia. He's a great inspiration and so are my parents. They've always encouraged me to start a career in athletics."
Chouhal, a GSSE gold medallist in Malta two years ago, just missed out on a successful defence of his long jump title by one centimetre.
He managed to clear 7.61m but was pipped to the title by Luxembourg's Andrei Mikhalkevitch. He took gold with a 7.62. Iceland's Jon Arnar Magnusson was third with 7.30.
"I'm disappointed at the moment," Chouhal said after the competition.
"The conditions were rather poor. The sand pit was inadequate to hold the long jump and the officials also removed some marking points I left as reference and that made my life difficult. I feel I was strong enough to win the event but unfortunately it was not to be."
Camilleri, 19, looked well on course to become the first Maltese girl to take gold in the long jump. After three jumps she was leading with her day's best mark of 5.94... just one centimetre short of her national record.
Her hopes were dashed by an impressive jump from Irini Charalambous. The Cypriot took gold with 6.17m. The bronze medal was won by Montserrat Pujol Joval, of Andorra, 5.75m.
"This is a great result for me," Camilleri said. "Two years ago I was third and now I went a step better... that confirms my progress during the past two years.
"I'm still young and have ample room for improvement. Some may argue second place is not good enough but I know that it will not be long before I win the gold medal."
Portelli was the other medal winner at the track yesterday. He was third in the men's 400m in 48.66. The gold medal went to Luxembourg's Johan Mordijck, 48.23. Cyprus' Marios Mardas was second in 48.39.
"In Malta I was second but this is definitely not a step backwards," Portelli said. "The build-up was somewhat tense as with only three weeks to go I still wasn't sure I would make the MQS."
Lisa Bezzina was a whisker away from claiming her second bronze medal in Andorra when she finished fourth in the 1,500m final in 4:49.93. The race was won by Anni Christofidou, of Cyprus, in 4:31.27. She finished ahead of compatriot Marilena Sofokleous (4.38.25). Iris Skuladottir, of Iceland, was third in 4.45.28.
The athletics programme came to a close with the men's 4x100m relay team clocking a new national record. They won their heat in 40.63. The time clocked by Mario Bonello, Chouhal, Darren Gilford and Jeandre Mallia bettered the previous mark of 40.97 set in last month's National Championships.
The remaining GSSE track and field events will be held tomorrow. Malta's main hopes of success rest on Carol Galea in the 10,000m and the relay teams.