Will Maltese Swimmers Impress At Small States Games?
The Games of the Small States of Europe (GSSE) are just four months away and our young Maltese swimmers are working hard to get the result they need to qualify to compete. We’re here to give a shout out to these young athletes – because they certainly have their work cut out for them!
Our swimmers need to obtain a qualifying time which is defined several months ahead of the competition by the Malta Olympic Committee. They have to take part in local and international competitions, and qualify once they achieve these minimum qualifying times. The ages of the swimmers varies and for the games – the swimmers which have already qualified range from 16 up to 25 years old. Serious stuff!
The swimmers follow a strict training program with nine sessions a week in the pool and another two sessions in the gym. And if you think these guys get time off from their normal school days to train to represent our country, you’d be wrong. Their morning sessions start at 6am till 8am everyday, followed by a second session between 4pm and 6pm.
They do get Sunday off though.
To complement their training regime, the athletes follow a healthy diet recommended by a nutritionist, and are also screened every four to six months by a team of sports physiotherapists to reduce as much as possible any risk of injury.
So what have our national swimmers qualified for so far?
Up till now our swimmers have achieved qualifying times in the following events:
In team events:
- Women Relay Team – 4 x 100m Freestyle
- Men Relay Team – 4 x 200m freestyle
In individual events:
- 50m freestyle
- 200m Freestyle
- 50m Freestyle
The qualifying window is still open, so there are still swimmers who can achieve other qualifying times in local and international competitions, which will be held in the coming weeks.
So best of luck guys! We’re cheering you on all the way!
