Laura Sammut (right) engaged in a tight race with UK’s Danielle Wallis at the Marsa stadium. Photo: Wally Galea

Shaving off nearly six seconds from a record last inked in nearly 28 years ago is quite remarkable, by any standard.

Being a youth category record does not lessen any merit from this feat achieved by 15-year-old Laura Sammut at a track and field invitational meeting held over the weekend at Marsa.

The event, staged every year by Athletics Malta in preparation of its top athletes for international competition, had two representative teams from abroad taking part.

These were UK’s Northern Athletics, with a strong, mostly junior (under 20) team, and another from Tuscany, which had a good dose of younger athletes.

Adverse wind conditions affected mostly the sprints and the jumpers, but not Sammut, who led for most of the way in the 1,500m race, giving in to Danielle Wallis in the final sprint to the tape, timing 4:50.99 minutes.

Sammut was less than 1.5secs behind the Briton.

Another record, no less meritorious, was that by shot putter Lawrence Ransley.

He bettered his previous mark by 3cms to take it to 14.68m.

Prompting him on was Scott Lincoln, by now a regular visitor to our shores, who recorded 16.11 metres.

Clearly, the locals relished the competition afforded by our visitors. They had fast times in the 400m, Jessica Turner completing the one-lap sprint in 55.56secs, Jamie Webb a one minute 55.59 seconds in the 800m and Matthew Shirling clocked three minutes 55.07 seconds in the 1,500m.

Matthew Croker broke the 50-second barrier in the 400m, clocking 49.98secs, and trio Janet Richard, Lara Scerri and Nicole Gatt all finished under one minute in that order.

Luke Bezzina, in the 100m, held sway over friend and foe alike by taking the 100m in 11.24secs, as did Andy Grech and Rebecca Camilleri in the long jump.

However, keeping in view the forthcoming GSSE in four weeks’ time, the ultimate satisfaction was that coming from the 4x100m relay for women.

They bagged qualification sporting a mix of new and established talent – youngsters Robyn Zammit and Nicole Gatt combining well with Rebecca Camilleri and Diane Borg. They stopped the clock on 47.08secs, well within the 47.19sec standard set.