Maltese trio target improvement

If the Olympics are the target for every senior athlete this season, then the World Junior Championships have to be the main seasonal aim for every aspiring athlete. This prestigious event helps to shed light on their progress and potential, the venue from which a number of future stars will emerge.

It is no different for Maltese athletes where a team of three - twin sisters Francesca and Martina Xuereb along with Owen Camilleri - have made the trip to Bydgoszcz in Poland for these championships.

The sight of Francesca and Martina in international competitions has become a fairly regular one.

Last year at the World Youth Championships, the twin sisters became the first Maltese athletes to make it through the heats at an international level championship where Francesca went on to finish eighth overall with Martina in ninth place, both in the 400m.

"The world youth was an experience I will never forget," Francesca said. "It was my first world championships, which makes the level even better. Being at the youth championships, you feel more confident as you are competing against athletes of your own age."

The same goes for Martina. "The world youth is an unforgettable experience because it was the first 'worlds' for me. I vividly remember the sudden urge I felt to race as soon as we arrived there and the excitement I felt. Neither can I erase the happiness and satisfaction that I felt when I did a PB and placed ninth."

This season hasn't been as positive as they had hoped.

"So far I am not satisfied with my time as I am one second away from my PB," Martina commented.

"I think this year was not an easy one mostly due to changes to the school timetable - meaning longer hours - but this does not mean that I did not do my best to train hard and achieve my aims."

Francesca is less downcast. "All in all this season was not as bad, even though I missed out on a personal best which I wish I had."

For them, this makes the World Junior Championships all the more important as they look to gain more experience.

The situation is completely different for Owen Camilleri who will be making the trip with them. A late starter to the sport - he only began training seriously some three years ago - he's been making massive strides.

This season has been his breakthrough year, one during which he became the fourth ever Maltese athlete to go under 22 seconds in the 200m. "My aim was to lower my time to 22.3s or 22.2s so it was quite a feat for me to clock 21.99," he said.

A member of the Maltese squad that took part in the European Cup, Camilleri wasn't too pleased with his results but acknowledged that the experience will serve him well.

"Mentally, it gives you an indication of what you're going to come across in major championships. I know what I did wrong and will do my utmost to avoid those mistakes," he maintained.

Starting from the World Junior Championships. "I'm hopeful of a good result. I'm looking to lower my personal best and aiming to break the national junior record even if 21.82s is quite a difficult objective."