The brothers Borg, Benji and Sean, as well as Ella Fleri Soler brought glory to the Maltese contingent yesterday as they were confirmed in their places of the previous day. This was because yesterday’s final race was cancelled at around 2.45pm because of lack of wind.

In fact, it was a day full of tension and pressure on everyone outside Monaco Harbour. Everything was in the balance as the organisers and the participants waited in vain for the winds to arrive.

However, this brought more frustration to the sailors who waited in vain for the wind to start blowing.

For Benji Borg, it was his second consecutive gold medal after he had won his first in the Malta edition. That was in the Optimist Class. Now it arrived also in the Laser Class and that probably made him the first sailor to win both classes at this event.

For his brother Sean, it was the first ever gold medal. It is well to note that he had been the youngest competitor at the Malta Games in 2003. Then he was only 10 years old.

Ella Fleri Soler became the first Maltese girl to win a medal at the Games for European Small States.

Anna Rossi, president of the Sailing Federation was obviously happy with the two gold medals and the silver. But not certainly happy with the conditions that prevailed.

She said: “We were all frustrated with the lack of wind. But it did not favour us much due to the fact that we missed some placings because of that factor. It made it much more difficult for us. Had there been a consistent breeze at least, I am sure we would have won more medals.”

And she added: “Despite everything, I am overjoyed. A result consisting two golds and two silvers and with two others – Thomas Zammit Tabona and Gabriel Pace – being so close to the podium, certainly provides a lot of satisfaction. Even Simon Aquilina could have fared much better than a fifth place had there been that consistent breeze which we prayed for.”

With sailing missing in the Andorra Games two years ago, it was a relief for the federation to be back in competition at these Games. Ms Rossi said: “It is important for us to take part in as many competitions as possible.

We have a very young squad. With more experience they will obviously get better and better. In the Optimist Class, all sailors are 14 years old, except one of them. In the Laser Class, the average age is 18. Simon Aquilina is the eldest at 27, while Benji is still 17 years old,” she said.

Coach Jean Paul Fleri Soler, a former gold medal winner at the first Malta Games, said the squad showed there was a sound basis for the future. “It is important that these youngsters receive the support they richly deserve. There are two important events coming up, the Europeans at Lake Garda and another international event. But to be able to take part we need more financial resources.”

Fleri Soler said in his heyday, they did not have the same support these youngsters had today. “We did not have coaching techniques as they have today. We did not start at a young age either. That shows that today we are moving ahead in the right direction,” he added.

In a final comment, Fleri Soler said: “It was a real pity that we had little wind here. Had we had two more days of sailing in a consistent breeze, we would have won double the medals in the Optimist and probably the same in the Laser Classes. We showed that we have a high standard but we did not have the chance to prove ourselves in full. Suffice to say that on one occasion races were abandoned due to lack of wind when our sailors were occupying leading positions. Because of that we lost several positions. On other occasions, we had the wind dying down, and when it came back in certain places, it favoured others, not us. It is a real pity. My boys and girls deserved a lot better,” he said.

Speaking to reporters, the two Borg brothers were obviously happy with their gold medal, but insisted that the lack of wind worked against the Maltese squad.

Benji said he was sure the Maltese would have won more medals, but they were still happy in the circumstances.” I am also happy to have registered a victory in a different category. We are now looking hopefully forward to Cyprus in two years’ time,” he said.

Sean said he was also overjoyed with his first gold medal. “It has been a good experience for us all. Of course, I am happy to have won this gold medal, and now I also look forward to repeat the feat in Cyprus in 2009.”

Ella Fleri Soler, 14, who won the silver in the Optimist Class for Women, said she was lucky to have represented her country for the first time. “It feels good with everyone supporting us. We have worked hard for these results and we are very happy.”

Ella said this would be her first and last time on an Optimist. Because of age limits, she will have to turn to Laser in the next event in Cyprus. “I am also glad that I became the first female sailor to win a medal in the Optimist Class. This victory should serve as a good promotion for this sport and should also encourage other children to take the sport more seriously,” she said.

Abigail Fenech, 14, was also taking part for the first time in the Small Nations Games. She said: “We were all frustrated with the lack of wind. I was doing well. But I had two bad races on Thursday and that really effected my placing. It kept me down because of lack of wind. The opportunity to recover never arrived,” she said.