Malta coach Colbourn upbeat

Maltese swimmers are bracing themselves for a testing week at the Liechtenstein Games as they aim to return among the medal winners after failing to achieve a top-three finish in Cyprus two years ago.

In Limassol, the Maltese Olympic Committee (MOC) fielded a team of only four swimmers, all female, after their male counterparts had failed to reach the required standards.

The girls produced some commendable showings and set a few national records but failed to win a single medal.

Two years on, the ASA squad is heading to Liechtenstein in a more positive frame of mind. This time their preparations have been much better and in Liechtenstein, Team Malta will be represented by nine swimmers in both men’s and women’s events.

Failure to make the team in 2009 seems to have sparked a strong response from the boys as Neil Agius, Andrea Agius, Mark Sammut, Edward Caruana Dingli and Andrew Chetcuti all broke through the qualifying barrier with weeks to spare.

Unfortunately, the girls found it harder this time but eventually Talisa Pace, Niki Muscat, Davina Mangion and Melinda Sue Micallef made the cut.

Coach Andy Colbourn, in charge of the national team for the past five years, believes that Malta’s medal prospects in Liechtenstein have improved significantly as the swimmers have more experience.

“The upset of missing out on Cyprus triggered a strong reaction from the boys in the team,” Colbourn said.

“They’ve trained really hard to improve their level of performance and the results were astounding. In fact, in the last 12 months, they lowered 18 national records.

“The girls are also reaching a good level of preparation and, hopefully, they will go to the Games in peak condition.

“This is a very united group we have. I’m confident they will challenge for medals but we are also aware that in Liechtenstein, things will be harder than in previous editions as the other nations have also made significant progress.”

The decision by the GSSE countries to make the event valid for qualifying to the Olympic Games will raise the level of competition as the top nations such as Iceland will send their best talent.

“Competition will be fierce as the top swimmers from all participating countries will be present this time,” Colbourn remarked.

“We will approach each race with caution and see where our best chances of winning a medal lie. If there is an event where we’ll probably struggle just to make the final, it will not make sense to do that race. So, we intend to dedicate all our energy to those races where we have a realistic chance.

“We should do well in two particular events in the relays... I’m banking on my swimmers to stay focused and give their all so that we don’t return empty-handed.”

Over the past 12 months, local swimmers have established a spate of new records, leading to suggestions that the level of the sport is on the up. Colbourn sees a bright future.

“We have a crop of young swimmers coming through who could provide our sport with a lot of satisfaction in the future,” Colbourn said.

“We see great potential in the likes of Neil Muscat, Julian Harding, Matthew Galea, Michael Umnov, Amy Micallef and Michela Millo among others but we have to be patient and make sure they continue to flourish.

“If their progress goes according to plan, we may be heading for the next GSSE in 2013 with an even stronger squad to the one we have at the moment.”