Kevin Moore and Charlotte Wingfield provided Team Malta with a fitting finale on Day Five of the Games of the Small States of Europe as they won gold medals in the 200 metres races with the Iceland Games coming to a close yesterday.
The feats of the two track sprinters boosted the country’s overall tally to 31 – four gold, nine silver and 18 medals – an improvement on the result obtained in Luxembourg two years ago when the MOC athletes returned home with 25 in all (two gold, 10 silver and 13 bronze).
Team Malta finished seventh in the overall medals standings which, as expected, was topped by hosts Iceland who won a staggering 115 medals – 38 gold, 46 silver and 31 bronze.
Luxembourg were second with 80 medals (34 gold, 22 silver and 24 bronze) and Cyprus third on 52 overall (20 gold, 16 silver and 16 bronze).
“We are very pleased with the results we had here this week,” Julian Pace Bonello, president of the Maltese Olympic Committee, told the Sunday Times of Malta.
“Prior to the Games we were convinced that all athletes in our squad had the ability to challenge for the medals and, in fact, more than 75 per cent of those selected finished among the top three.
“Generally, this is a considerable improvement on Luxembourg 2013 and a good step in the right direction. The goal now is to keep the good work going so that we can convert the significant number of bronze medals won here to either silver or gold next time.”
On track, Moore started his afternoon travails in style after powering his way to victory in the 200 metres final.
He won the race in 21.54 seconds ahead of Cyprus’s Pasios Dimitriadis and Montenegro’s Luka Rakic.
For Moore this was his second gold at the Iceland Games after his triumph in the 400 metres earlier in the week.
Moore said: “This was no easy race as the conditions were very difficult with the wind blowing from all directions but I felt good right from the start and it’s great to have finished my races here with two gold medals.”
However, the day had a sad ending for Moore and the 4x400 team that also included Reece Dimech, Matthew Croker and Neil Brimmer.
The quarter finished third but were later disqualified after Moore was adjudged to have stepped outside his lane.
The gold medal was won by Iceland ahead of Cyprus with Monaco elevated to third.
Wingfield’s triumph in the women’s 200m was dramatic to say the least as she was engaged in a tight battle for first place before tumbling over the finish line.
At first she looked jaded but after picking herself up she was confirmed the winner with a time of 24.19 seconds.
Iceland’s Hafdis Sigurdardottir was second in 24.22 ahead of team-mate Hrafnhild Hermodsdottir (24.35).
“It was not an ideal way to finish the race,” a bruised Wingfield joked afterwards.
“It’s an amazing feat for me to win two gold medals in my first participation in these Games. I would like to thank my new team-mates here as without their support I would not have managed to achieve such an excellent result.”
Rebecca Sare won a bronze medal in the triple jump after a leap of 11.94 metres.
The gold medal went to Hafdis Sigurdardottir (12.49) and Eleftheria Christofi, of Cyprus, was third (12.35).
In other events on track, Giselle Camilleri could not add to her 10,000m silver medal after placing sixth in the 5,000m final with a time of 18.12.16.
Montenegro’s Sladana Perunovic, winner of the 10,000m race in midweek, completed a long distance double after winning the 5,000m in 16:63.78.
Symbolic ceremony
The Games wrapped up last night when the participating athletes took part in a closing ceremony at the Laugardal Hall.
Gymnast Peppijna Dalli, winner of a silver medal in the beam competition, was Malta’s flagbearer at the symbolic ceremony during which Iceland NOC chief Larus L. Blondal handed the GSSE flag to Gianprimo Giardi, head of the San Marino delegation.
San Marino will organise the next Games in 2017 and the 2019 edition will be hosted for the first time by Montenegro.