Maltese Olympic swimmer Sasha Gatt has once again broken her own national record in the 1,500 metre freestyle at the European Junior Championships in Rome.

In her final competition before heading to Tokyo for the coveted games, the 16-year-old swimmer smashed her own national record that she had set last March, a feat she explained provided her with a confidence boost ahead of the Summer Games.

“I must admit it was a big morale boost, not only because of the national record established but also because I will be competing in the finals, which will take place tomorrow afternoon,” she said.

Gatt clocked a time of 16:50.47 in the 1,500 metre freestyle, improving on her previous national record by a margin of almost three seconds which she had set at the Slovakia Grand Prix.

The young Maltese swimmer placed fourth in her heat and seventh overall, guaranteeing her a spot in tomorrow’s final.

A total of five local athletes are currently competing at the European Junior Swimming Championships in Rome, including Thomas Woods, Luke Sullivan, Maya Galea, Kristina Camenzuli and Gatt.

Gatt will be joining swimmer Andrew Chetcuti, as well as four other athletes, as part of Malta’s contingent heading to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics this summer.

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