Angela Galea yesterday relinquished her hold on the 200m butterfly title she claimed in Andorra two years ago, when she could only finish a very close second to an impressive Sigrun Bra Sverrisdottir in the final.

In the process, Angela, clipped almost two seconds off her personal best, as she clocked 2:20.04 with the winner having a time of 2:19.71. Third was San Marino’s Simona Muccioli in a time of 2:21.82.

It is well to note here that the winner managed to clip almost five seconds from her personal best on her way to winning gold.

She claimed victory in the final two metres. In the opening three laps, it was Angela who set the pace and was leading at the start of the final lap, but the Icelandic swimmer fought her way back magnificently and managed to pip Angela in the final two metres.

In the same event, another Maltese swimmer, Davina Mangion, finished fourth in a time of 2:26.34

Madeleine Scerri won her first medal for Malta yesterday afternoon in the opening final - the 200m backstroke - on the programme at the pool.

Earlier in the morning heats, she and Nicole Cremona had qualified to take part in the final.

Scerri took the bronze medal as she finished third, clocking 2:26.76, while Cremona was seventh in a time of 2: 37.88, just failing to break her personal best.

The gold medal went to Dana Gales of Luxembourg who outsped second placed Johanna Gerda Gustafssdottir of Iceland. The winner clocked an excellent 2:22.72, while the second placed had a time of 2:25.07.

Scerri was also in the 100m freestyle final, but finished fifth, although it was one of the closest ever finishes I have ever witnessed in swimming. Only a fraction of a second separated the top five swimmers with the winner clocking 58.29 seconds, the second placed 58.30, the third 58.38. Scerri clocked 58.55 in fifth place.

In the 4 x 200m individual medley, Madeleine Scerri and Angela Galea were again in action. Scerri finished fifth in 2:33.27 while Galea was sixth in 2:34.06.

Dr Michael Gialanze, chairman of the ASA’s Swimming Unit, told me that despite the close defeat for Angela, they were also happy with the silver medal and the bronze obtained by Madeleine Scerri. “We have started off with two medals and that is quite satisfactory. It is a pity that, after dominating the race, Angela was just beaten to the gold by the final touch of the otherwise excellent Icelandic swimmer,” he said.