Today's interviewee is Elite Athlete Monalisa Camilleri, age 27, right attitude to Sports, loyal to her club Libertas AS for the past 17 years, coached by Xandru Grech and excels in the 800m, 1500m, 3000m and 3000m steeplechase but even ventures in the 5000m and 10,000m with remarkable results. Medical Physicist by profession and a graduate of Mechanical Engineering in 2013.

Monalisa, you have been on the track for quite a long time. You participate regularly in road races too but there is no doubt that this season was the best season so far in your long career. This year your results speak for themselves. PB in 800m 2:15.27, PB in 1500m 4:32.89, PB in 3000m 9:58.56, PB in 5000m in 17:33.89, PB in 10k in 37:29 and a NR in the 3000m steeplechase in 11:09.7. Astounding to say the least: 5 PB's and a NR. What do you think has happened to make this breakthrough in 6 events? What have you done so differently? Was it that your studies are over and your mind is at ease and can focus on athletics better? We both know that at times, seasons go one way or the other but this year it was a positive season indeed. Most of your events were solo run and that made your feat more difficult. After such a distinguishing season, what is to be anticipated next?

First of all I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your time and dedication on these ongoing series of interviews to ensure that athletes get their limelight on their career.

I agree with you, this season was by far this best in my running career. Last year was a successful one after coming from two-year scholarship in Leeds UK and leaving my educational career aside. Unfortunately, last year I had to stop the season abruptly due to Achilles injury. I am grateful that I came back this season stronger in endurance and speed endurance with no major injuries. I believe that there were many factors involved this season that lead to such improvements. Mostly were 1) diet; 2) running technique; 3) high altitude training. After my injury last year, I focused on reducing weight. Since I was injured, I was afraid that I would gain weight so I started a lean diet involving a good amount of green vegetables, lean meat and fish with potatoes or rice. I cut down the pasta intake and the Maltese bread leaving a good pasta plate as a treat once in two weeks. It wasn't an easy task coming from a Maltese bread lover and fussy on green vegetables.

During the time I was injured I applied for a four-week course on Running technique and strengthening by Dr Danica Bonello Spiteri. Through video-analysis Dr Danica pin-pointed out minor arrangements such as cadence and hip posture and which exercises I need to follow to improve. There was a major improvement; however, there is still room for further progress in my running technique.

The third factor is high altitude training. I keep my annual appointment to visit the high altitude facility at Font Romeu. This year's camp was lengthy and tiring. Over there, I learnt to run my optimum in difficult conditions. I brought this attitude with me back home. I can say that living and training in high altitude worked positively. So, definitely, my next move for this coming season is high altitude training camp. At this point I would like to take this opportunity to show my gratitude towards my lead Medical Physicist at Mater Dei Hospital, Dr Mark Borg, for his support to shift my work duties to focus on my sports career. Saying this, I admit that as my studies are over now, it helped me better focusing on athletics. I was approached several times from my Master's supervisor Prof Carmel Caruana to apply for PhD but I always refused. He supported me immeasurably during my master's degree helping me balance my athletic career with the Masters dissertation and the work-related training back in Leeds. At the moment, athletics is giving me a physical and mental satisfaction which is indescribable. Representing the nation at international level is a gratitude that I will cherish throughout my life.

For the next season I am anticipating to race abroad in the 1500m and 3000m to improve my times and hopefully break the 15-year old 1500m record of Tanya Blake. As you mentioned, this year I recorded personal bests in the major middle distance events. However, I have not just recorded a personal time but have improved the standards. After 19 years, Malta has seen the third female athlete running under 10mins in the 3000m after Carol Walsh and Giselle Camilleri. Additionally, this year I registered the second best Maltese female time in the 1500m, 3 seconds away from Tanya Blake's national record, beating second best time of Carol Walsh by a second. At the beginning of this season, 10 minutes in the 3000m was seen impossible after running 10:06 solo in June during the World Medical and Health Games which were held in Malta. As you pointed out, most of the events were solo. Infact, I knew that I was capable of running under 4:35 in the 1500m after running 4:39 alone for three times. I just needed that one good race with the men to be able to reach my target. In fact I ran 4:32 in a mixed gender race at the end of the season. Unfortunately, if a woman athlete breaks a national record during a mixed gender race, the record counts invalid. Therefore, I am foreseeing to participate in the British Milers Club or in elite competitions in Belgium and Italy to be able to break the 1500m record in a women's race. The only main concern at the moment is financial support.

 

Monalisa, I would say you have a very supportive family. Most of the time both your mum and dad are present on the stands. Something uncommon for a senior athlete of your age. You still live with your parents, so am sure your mum is well instructed which food is a must and which is not. Your father, Michael is another avid long-distance athlete and he distinguishes himself in his age category too. How did this all begin? Was it your father who allured you into athletics or vice versa?

My parents have always been supportive to me and my sister not only in our hobbies but also in our studies. My father started athletics because of me. At age of 12 years I introduced my daily runs and my parents were concerned for a young girl to run in the roads alone. Therefore, my father decided to join me for the runs. At that time he was overweight, so it was beneficial for him to start doing something to reduce his weight. Now, at age 56, he is registering personal best times running the half marathon in 1hr 32mins and under 20mins in the 5km winning his age category in the process. My mother used to prepare meals without any strict instructions but since I came back from UK I have started cooking for the family.

 

Monalisa, as mentioned before, you are a Medical Physicist at Mater Dei Hospital. Can you please describe what your job entails? I recall that some years ago, you were aired on the news and I learned that some Engineers were awarded a scholarship from the Ministry of Health to pursue their studies in the UK. How was that experience abroad? Living far from your family for two whole years was not easy at all. I used to talk to your father and he was concerned that in Winter it was almost impossible to train due to bad climatic conditions. I reckon that it was not easy for you to follow the training schedule. How was it? To my knowledge, amid your lengthy years of study, you never stopped from training and competing. Commendable indeed. What were the most difficult years which were hard to cope due to studies and training? Today at least your studies are over. Describe a week in your life as an athlete and your profession. How do you juggle between both?

My job mainly involves quality assurance of ionising and non-ionising diagnostic modalities such as X-Rays, CT, Ultrasound and MRI to ensure that these systems are fit to be used clinically on patients in terms of radiation safety and image quality. Also, I am responsible for optimisation of these systems to reduce the radiation as reasonable as possible and give advice on radiation protection to staff. It wasn't an easy task to graduate in Medical Physics at a Master's Degree level and follow simaltenously a two-year job-related training program in Leeds to become a Medical Physicist. I describe my experience as rollercoaster had my ups and downs. I had to balance between my job, the dissertation, athletics and the daily chores. Xandru used to send me the program and adapt on my daily situation. As you mentioned, sometimes it was difficult to train in winter conditions. The problem in Leeds wasn't the low temperatures but the extreme windy conditions experiencing 60miles per hours whilst trying to finish 25 laps alone at the track. Once I acclimatised to below zero temperature having the appropriate clothing it wasn't hard to cope with. I still miss that weather, where I could run anytime I wanted because heat wasn't an issue, though it was a bit frustrating to do my daily runs on a treadmill at the gym because during Winter the sun sets earlier around 3 in the afternoon and the parks are pitch black.

During that period, it was a time where I wasn't expecting any results, especially when the coach was not there motivating me, and I wasn't aware of my potential. However, I was mistaken. I managed a 25 seconds improvement in the 3000 Steeplechase establishing a national record and making it to the 1^st Edition of the European Games in Baku. Also, I registered decent personal best times in the 1500m and 5000m. However, the following year in 2016, I was occupied to tick all my competencies and finalise the work portfolio as it was my last few months in Leeds to start working in Mater Dei Hospital. I was working from 7 in the morning till 7 in the evening adapting my training schedule to priorities my work-related training.  During that time, vacation leaves were limited and missed the opportunities to go for a training camp in Font Romeu with Team Malta and to compete in Malta to qualify for the Championships of the Small States of Europe. Still, despite the situation I was in, I tried my best not miss an opportunity of running whether if it was a session at the track or a jog in the park.

There was an episode in my life where I decided to take a break for a year in athletics. It was during my last year in Engineering at the University. This news shocked coach Xandru. My plan was to stop the track sessions and do my daily runs as usual. However, Xandru motivated me and supported me to keep going down at the track and train whenever I could.

Now that the bad times are over, I cannot complain with my daily job. The fact that I leave early in the afternoon, I have plenty of time for cooking and training. During Winter I also run to work which takes me around 20mins and jog it back home taking a longer route to cover more distance.

 

Monalisa, you are a clear sheer example that you followed the dual career path flawlessly. You are an inspiration to many after seventeen years of training, studying and working simultaneously. A gratifying working career complimented with encouraging athletic standards. This year you managed to single yourself out having reached 3 MQS s for GSSE 2019 at Montenegro! The 3000m Steeplechase, the 1500m and the 5000m. This upcoming season is going to be tougher on you than the one before. You represented Malta abroad several times, what is your impression and which races do you reminisce about?

I represented Malta several times abroad and each competition had its own different experience, however, the race I muse about is an international race held locally last year in the European Team Championships 3^rd League. It was two weeks prior the games to compete in the 3000m Steeplechase where I injured the Achilles tendon making it impossible to jog for even 10 minutes. I was thinking to step down and give the opportunity to someone else to compete instead of me. Xandru Grech and Ivan Rozhnov encouraged me not to give up and guaranteed that I will not feel any pain during the race. I was worried but still I decided to risk it. My plan was to start the race at a comfortable pace and enjoy it. That's what I did until I was running shoulder to shoulder with the Georgian girl fighting for third position. Two laps to go, we managed to catch the second girl from Armenia, the three of us fighting for second and third position. But I had to settle for third position with 0.3s away from the second place and achieved a National Record by 9 seconds. This was the best position I had ever achieved in these games after 5 consecutive editions and was not expecting any great result due to my injury.

 

Monalisa, the title speaks for itself: Two things Loyalty to your club and yearning for even more achievements. What can you say about your club since you and your father are highly involved in its running and your future goals?

AS Libertas is a long standing club back to the 1980s, having few quantities of athletes but with the best quality. Most of our athletes compete internationally both at the track and in mountain competitions. Last year the women team won the Road Running League Champions title which meant a lot for the club. At the moment, the club is gearing for the annual awards after having started a classification point system according to the IAAF Scoring Points. Athletes earn their points for their performances in several road races and track meetings. In order for athletes to progress in their standing is to improve their performance not their position during the race. In this way we help athletes desire to improve their times.

My future goals as I already mentioned are to break the National Record of the 1500m and continue to improve the time in order to compete at a higher level competitions such as the Commonwealth and the Mediterranean games in four years' time; progress in my 3000m steeplechase National Record aiming to break the 11-minute barrier and to break the long-standing National Record of the 3000m of Carol Walsh.

 

Monalisa, by now your experience is second to none. You are well ingrained into local athletics not just simply been around for few years. You have seen a different picture of what local athletics are today. If you were to compare and contrast, the good of that time with today's and vice versa even the standards of athletes, the amenities, the support from MAAA and MOC, sponsorships if any etc, what would be your highlights?

I can say that the overall standards of athletes have improved. Speaking about long distance, Lisa Bezzina and Charlton Debono stepped up the standards in these events followed by Roberta Schembri, Andrew Grech and Luke Micallef with Simon Spiteri, Matthew Crocker and Francesca Borg in the middle events. This year, we have seen Dillon Cassar and Paula Grech competing extraordinarily alongside experienced athletes. However, still their times are close but yet so far to the 1990s National Records.  Thanks to MAAA, in these past 7 years, team Malta has been competing in the European Team Athletics Championships were the standards are higher than the Games of Small States of Europe. This helped athletes to be the best amongst their rivals as only one athlete per event from each country is eligible to compete. Infact there was a year where six men ran under 2 minutes in the 800m during the National Championships. It had been awhile to watch such great times in one event.

Back in 2015 and 2016, MAAA with the help of MOC funded a high altitude training camp in Font Romeu to the middle and long distance athletes of Team Malta in preparation for the GSSE. Now athletes including myself are keeping their annual appointment to train at these altitude facilities.

Opportunities to run at international level are arising not to senior athletes but to youths as well. This was limited in my youth's time. Meetings at Crystal Palace were stopped and the Kids meeting in Brno favoured sprint athletes. Nowadays, selections are more transparent having more athletes participates in the annual meeting in Brno competing in various events and also this year youths had the opportunity to run at the COJI Games winning several medals.

 

Xandru, as part of this ongoing series of interviews, which I am sure you all followed, which couldn't be complete or fair if Monalisa was not included in this first series. You acknowledge that this season Monalisa's results were outstanding. She has been into athletics for a long time and yet she still eagers for more. She does not go to comfortably win a race but she desires MQS s, PB's, SB's and NR's. You know that results derive from many factors and thanks to many virtues. Tell me your views about Monalisa's attitude, her results and at what she may aspire.

Monalisa is an exceptional athlete. She ticks all the boxes. As an athlete she is an all-rounder and very naturally talented. She has great lungs for endurance runs, very good speed for shorter distances, a strong kick and an amazing change of speed. This means she can be competitive in both middle and long distances. However, to top it all she has a brilliant racing mind. In fact she is very competitive and always gives her opponents a run for their money, yet always observing fair play and being very humble about her various successful results. She is also very close with fellow competitors. She is dedicated and disciplined and never misses training sessions. She follows sessions to the letter and is very enthusiastic about athletics. Monalisa is very professional is very organised as a person. Athletics is the love of her life and she is immensely passionate about the sport. She is also involved with the organising aspect for her club Libertas. As a coach, she has given me unimaginable thrills and joy and I can say hand on heart, that as an athlete, she is any coaches dream. I am so proud of her and have the outmost respect as a person.