Team Malta won two bronze medals at the XXI Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast: a first ever Commonwealth medal in lawn bowls, and a bronze in trap for shooter Brian Galea on the final day of competition.
The Women’s Fours of Sharon Callus, Rosemarie Rixon and her daughters Rebecca and Connie-Leigh Rixon won their opening games against England and India, beat India again 13-11 in the quarter-final, then beat Canada 17-8 in the bronze medal play-off. “The Maltese Olympic Committee is elated to see such result being achieved today – indeed it is a historic result since this is the first medal that Malta has won in the sport,” said MOC President Julian Pace Bonello. Brendan Aquilina and Shaun Parnis also reached the semi-finals of the Men’s Pairs after knocking out hosts Australia 15-13, but lost the bronze play-off to the Cook Islands.
Galea won a 4-3 shoot-off against India’s Kynan Chenai just to reach the trap final, where he hit 36 clays to take bronze. “Today is a truly emotional moment for me, as it is the result of months of hard work and preparation,” he said. He carried Malta’s flag at the Closing Ceremony.
There were near misses too. Eleanor Bezzina finished fourth in the 10m Air Pistol final, a big step up from 13th in Glasgow in 2014, and also reached the 25m Pistol final. Weightlifter Yazmin Zammit Stevens, the only athlete to qualify on her own merit, set three national records on her way to seventh place, and Ian Grech jumped a personal best of 7.43 in the long jump. Squash pair Bradley Hindle and Daniel Zammit-Lewis reached the last sixteen of the men’s doubles.
Twenty-five athletes were selected in eight sports, with young wrestler Gary Giordimaina as flag bearer at the Opening Ceremony. Paul Sultana was Chef de Mission.
