Competing in an international event in Slovakia recently, the national synchronised swimming team attained encouraging results on an individual level and produced a brilliant show during the exhibitio, which consisted of solo swimming, duets and the team as a whole.

The Little Frogs Competition is organised annually by the Club TJ Slávia STU Bratislava with the aim of giving beginners in this discipline the opportunity to take part in competitions of international standards. Participants hailed from Austria, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Malta.

The Maltese girls competed in two individual categories, over-12 and under-12. Alessia Cardona Taliana placed third in Category 1 (over 12 years) to win a bronze medal while Martina Fitzgerald and Hannah Preca Trapani were fourth and sixth respectively.

Mya Azzopardi also claimed bronze after finishing third in Category 2 (under-12).

Commenting on the performances of her team, national coach Saho Harada said: “I am so proud of our little mermaids who have obtained good results both individually and as a team.

“The Malta team was only established in May so, unlike the other foreign competitors who have been training for at least three years, our girls have only been doing so for the past five months. This was a great achievement for the girls.”

Harada was full of praise for the dedication shown by her girls. “The girls went through a lot of sacrifices during the summer as they trained very hard.

“They also gave shows at local swimming clubs and had the opportunity to train and exhibit with the British Olympic team who was in Malta for a training camp.”

Harada, a former Olympic medallist, has been pivotal in introducing this new sport in Malta. The Maltese team that took part in the Slovakia competition was made up of Hanna Preca Trapani, Gail Gauci, Martina Fitzgerald, Melanie Borg Cardona, Alessia Cardona Taliana, Yanika Spiteri, Mya Azzopardi, Mikela Riolo, Faye Magro, Andria Friggieri, Lisa Fenech and Ingrid Djincharadze.