Maltese gymnasts maintained their efforts to make the 2013 GSSE selection after representing the country in an international competition in Sicily earlier this month.

The team consisted of Kirsty Caruana, Corene Gatt, Jessica Worley and Adreana Zammit who competed in the senior category.

Claire Azzopardi, Suzanne Buttigieg, Hannah Formosa, Sana Grillo and Paula Hampton were in the junior team.

The competition was staged at the Regional Sports School Complex in Ragusa and remarkably well organised with gymnasts evaluated and awarded points by a team of international judges.

The Malta Gymnastics Federation (MGF) team returned home with five gold medals, three silver and five bronze.

Caruana was first in all her four events as well as all-around, Zammit was runner-up in floor, vault and all-around and third on bar and Gatt finished third in floor, vault, beam and all-around.

The junior team finished with a gold medal, five silver and three bronze.

Grillo won the floor event and was second in bars and all-around.

Buttigieg was second in vault and beam and third all-around, Azzopardi second in floor and Formosa third in bars. Hampton claimed a bronze medal in vault.

The Maltese federation is now focusing its efforts on the national championship which will be held on December 21-22.

More gymnasts will be assessed during the championships in the long process of selecting the national team to represent the country at the GSSE in Luxembourg next year.