Confident Attard looking to set new national records

If there was an athlete who emerged from the recent Games for the Small States of Europe with her reputation enhanced, it surely was Charlene Attard.

In Monaco, she won four medals including a second place in the 100m. Just days before she had become the first Maltese female athlete to go beneath the 12-second barrier on foreign soil.

Those results capped what has already been a fantastic season for the Pembroke Athleta sprinter who has broken a series of records in sprints.

And it will be the national record in the 100m and 200m that currently stand at 11.93s and 24.52s respectively which will be her main target this week as she is Malta's sole representative in the European U-23 Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, starting today.

It won't be easy, especially after having focused so much attention on the GSSEs.

"The motivation is there because I've been getting good results which make it easier to keep your spirits up," Attard said.

"The difficulty is to keep your condition at a high enough level. My training was designed to help me peak in Monaco and usually sprinters manage to keep their top condition for just a few weeks. So, it will be difficult to expect a similar performance to the ones I gave in Monaco.

"At the same time, my training has been going well so I'm confident that I can get a good result."

That she formed part in the squad that participated in the European League 2nd Division helped as it allowed her to yet again test herself against foreign opposition.

"It was an ideal test because there were athletes more or less of our level," she said. "I finished fourth and fifth so I didn't do that badly. However, we've identified some errors that I committed and which, hopefully, I'll be able to avoid in Debrecen so that I'll get to beat my national records."

Attard is the first to admit that this is the only realistic target she can have at such championships.

"Europe's finest athletes will be taking part and you can only dream of beating them," Attard said. "However, I've had a look at other entry times and I'm confident that there are other sprinters with whom I can keep up with."

If anything, this trip will help her gain further valuable experience of international competition.

"The fact that our pool of athletes is so limited is a huge drawback for us. Take the UK for example. There are many quality runners so they can compete with each other and this pushes them to improve," Attard said.

Xuereb sisters shine

Francesca Xuereb and her sister Martina achieved a remarkable result when qualifying for today's semi-finals of the 400m at the World Youth Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

Competing in the fifth heat, Francesca Xuereb completed the one-lap race in 55.10 seconds, a new national junior record. The race was won by Ukraine's Yuliya Baraley in 53.92.

Martina Xuereb also managed second place in heat four in 56.28 to finish just behind winner Latoya McDermott of Jamaica, 55.93.