Despite being slightly smaller in number to the Andorra squad of two years ago, the athletes are also in high spirits and this was confirmed yesterday by Leandros Calleja, the coach.

He told The Malta Independent that expectations were high. He said: “I cannot say exactly how many medals we will be winning. I expect good results and a good haul of medals in the sprints where, I am sure, we are very competitive. In some cases it will be fractions of a second that will make the difference. We are aware of the Cypriot strength in athletics, but against all the others, I believe we can gain very good results.”

Calleja also said that Carol Walsh has a good chance of winning one gold medal. “Hopefully there are no injuries and on a good day for us, we can have some pleasant surprises,” he added.