As the first day (Saturday, June 18) of the European Team Champion-ships (third league) drew to a close, Maltese competitors had managed some notable performances in Rey-kjavik, Iceland.

It was evident from the start that Montenegro were determined to challenge Malta for ninth place but Maltese athletes again showed great commitment to win the two-way race by a mere four points at the end of the championships.

On a day characterised by nippy weather and a high degree of competitiveness, the Maltese team responded with some gutsy, often selfless, performances amid the relentless support of the other members of the MAAA contingent from the stands.

This was evident early on as Rebecca Camilleri figured in the women’s pole vault. Her 2.7m clearance bettered the national mark and secured some valuable points for the team.

Diane Borg continued with her match-up against Cypriot rival Ramona Papaioannou in the women’s 100m.

The Maltese sprinter followed up her fine GSSE showing with another sub-12 time. Her 11.99s earned Borg third place with Papaioannou finishing first in 11.88s.

Karl Farrugia struggled in the men’s event but still ran his 100m heat in 11.22s. The overall winner was Azerbaijan’s Ruslan Abbasov in 10.22.

Competing in the triple jump, Alessandra Pace was clearly in pain throughout. She somehow managed an 11.11m effort – well below her best – while Moldova’s Tatiana Cicanci claimed top spot.

Francesca Xuereb ran a respectable 58.47 in a tough women’s 400m race, securing a sixth overall placing and chalking up more points for Malta.

Neil Brimmer turned in a fine performance in the men’s 400m despite the windy conditions and a rather fast start.

“I got lured into a fast pace for the first 200m,” Brimmer explained.

“I wasn’t as strong in the end but I can’t complain too much about the result.”

Brimmer’s 50.22s run tied his personal best for 400m.

Giselle Camilleri ran a pacy 3,000m, finishing in 10:08.24.

Jonathan Balzan, more known for his exploits over longer distances, obtained a personal best in the 5,000m.

Malta’s 4x100m relay teams wrapped up the proceedings on a high note, both placing well.

The women came in third overall in 46.96s as Israel emerged winners.

The men encountered some problems in their last two changeovers but still won their heat and were fifth overall in the final. At the end of the opening day, Malta was ninth, the same position as last year, on 138 points.

Israel and Moldova occupied the first two spots and seemingly well-placed to secure promotion with Cyprus just behind them in third place.

Chouhal record

Day Two produced some remarkable performances that left Malta in ninth place.

There was a very positive performance by Antonella Chouhal early in the day, when she took the field for the women’s hammer throw and ended up with a national record.

“Saturday, I did not perform to my standards so I wanted to make up for that upset,” Chouhal said.

“The weather was a bit cold, and we only had three attempts. I was feeling good though and started rather cautiously to secure a placing. The second one was off, but I managed a good throw with my third attempt.”

Her 35.30m effort was a new national record.

Andy Grech made his bow in the men’s pole vault. His 2.85m clearance did not establish any new marks but still gave the Maltese contingent something to shout about.

Grech, who is better known as a long jumper and sprinter, put his body on the line in a bid to help Malta secure a better position in the standings.

This was a recurring theme of this competition with a number of athletes leaving their comfort zone and competing in events that aren’t their specialty.

Ian Paul Grech gave a good account of himself in the men’s triple jump on a day when a lot of jumpers struggled to hit their stride and match their usual performances.

Moldova’s Vladimir Letnicov edged Israel’s Yochai Halevi by two centimetres and won the event with a 16.05m jump.

Once again, Borg produced another good showing in the women’s 200m.

While she was clearly labouring under the grind of her recent commitments in Liechtenstein, she managed to hold on for third place in 24.74s – although she had to be separated from the fourth-placed runner by photo-finish.

Papaioannou completed a sprint double by winning the 200m.

As Montenegro were stepping up their bid to pip Malta for ninth place, every point mattered.

Chouhal preserved Malta’s lead by preventing anyone from getting between herself and Montenegro in the shot put classification.

However, matters were not settled until the last two events got under way.

Malta’s 4x400m relay teams won their heats and built just enough of a cushion to get past Montenegro.

Both were placed eighth overall but while the women’s quartet won their heat with plenty to spare, the men’s team had to rely on final Brimmer flourish to fend off a strong challenge from the Albania runner.

At the end of the two-day event, Israel still topped the 15-team standings but Cyprus dislodged Moldova from second place to secure promotion.

Malta held on to ninth place, four points ahead of Montenegro.

Final standings
1. Israel - 490 points
2. Cyprus - 469
3. Moldova - 440
4. Iceland - 411
5. Bosnia - 390
6. Azerbaijan - 377
7. Armenia - 341
8. Luxembourg - 335
9. Malta - 270
10. Montenegro - 266
11. Macedonia - 233
12. Small States of Europe - 178
13. Andorra - 174
14. Georgia - 144
15. Albania - 93