Determined… Giselle Camilleri (right) won a silver medal for Malta in the 10,000m at the 2015 GSSE despite being dogged by an ankle injury.Determined… Giselle Camilleri (right) won a silver medal for Malta in the 10,000m at the 2015 GSSE despite being dogged by an ankle injury.

Top athletes are perceived as symbols of health, yet few are ever free of injury.

Giselle Camilleri, a silver medallist at the 2015 GSSE who resides in France, has had a long battle with injury this year and on the eve of 2015, it looked as if fate was going to be particularly cruel with her.

“Once again, it looked as though my dream of forming part of the national team wasn’t going to materialise,” she recounted.

“However, after seven months struggling with a troubled ankle late last year, I decided to start training and give it a shot at trying to win my way into the team for the GSSE.”

A crucial boost was to come two months later.

“In February I was chosen as one of the national athletes to go on training camp in Font Romeu,” Camilleri added.

“This proved beneficial because I went on to win the French Indoor Masters’ Championships in the 1,500m (4:56) and the 3,000m, establishing a new national indoor record (10:25.15) in the longer race.”

Indeed, Fort Romeu was to play a pivotal part in her comeback.

“I decided to spend my Easter holidays training at altitude in Font Romeu,” she explained.

“For a full three weeks I lived and breathed only athletics. I could concentrate on running twice a day, eating, sleeping and then doing it all over again.

“The camp proved useful as I achieved the qualifying time, 37:23.7, in the 10,000 metres during the French National Championships held in St Maur and a couple of weeks later the 5,000 metres in St Cere in 17:38.75.”

Despite these results, pain was a constant companion.

In my career, ever since I started racing at the age of 13, I always finished a race so there was no question of stopping at the European Games

“I experienced lots of pain in my ankle tendon which persisted throughout the year,” she said.

“Come the GSSE and after four kilometres in the 10,000m, my ankle started to give me trouble. The forceful winds on the day didn’t help either, since it felt like I was facing a wall each time I turned the bend.”

Here it was her experience that saw her through.

“I knew I couldn’t risk a sprint finish,” she added.

“So I slowly started to pull away from the other athletes.

“I was unsure whether I would make it to the finishing line... but I did.”

She most certainly did, winning her silver medal in the process. “It was a dream as, in 2013, I saw that the youngsters were improving fast and my foot problems meant that I couldn’t train as hard. I had almost come to think that qualification for the GSSE was close to impossible,” Camilleri said.

There was little time to delve into this success because a few days later, she was picked to represent Malta at the European Games in Baku.

“I had two weeks to recover for the European Games,” she reflected.

“However, it is a pity I could not continue to build on my shape and achieve a better result, but I am proud that in Baku I had the courage to race despite not being 100 per cent fit.

“I kept reminding myself not to stop as my points were important to the team.

“In my entire career, ever since I started racing at the age of 13, I always finished a race so there was no question of stopping at the European Games.

“In the end I got four useful points for my country. Competing in such event meant a lot to me and it was truly an unforgettable experience to run in such an enormous stadium.”

Now that those highs are over, she has to decide what to do next. And it doesn’t look like quitting is an option if she has any say.

“I would like to keep on racing for a very long time, to give the best of myself. Age doesn’t stop me or trouble me although my ankle does,” Camilleri remarked.

“Time will tell. I keep dreaming of being in the national team, racing in big championships and training hard.

“However for now I am concentrating on giving my ankle the proper rest it needs.

“Luckily I can maintain my fitness by swimming and cycling. And there are always other sports. Archery, for instance, has always intrigued me...”

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