Malta claimed the first gold medals of the 2019 edition of the Small Nations Games winning both the 5,000m in a constant heavy downpour.

Lisa Marie Bezzina won the gold medal, giving Malta its first one of the games. But there was drama at the end of the race as the bell indicating the last lap was rang when Bezzina had already crossed the finishing line, when in effect she had completed the race.

With Bezzina slowing down Meropi Panagiotou beat Bezzina to cross the finishing line of the extra lap. There was some confusion with judges indicating that Panagiotou won the race, and with the Maltese ready to lodge a protest.

In fact the medal presentation ceremony was not held, and late in the evening good sense prevailed and Lisa Marie Bezzina was rightly declared winner of the race with a time of 16:55.05. In the same final Mona Lisa Camilleri finished fourth clocking 17:19.59.

The second gold on the same distance was obtained by Jordan Daniel Gusman who as expected dominated the final to claim gold with a time of 14:00.40.

There were more medals in the rain drenched athletic field as Ian Paul Grech won the bronze medal in the long jump competition with a jump of 7.15m, and another bronze was obtained by Paula Grech in the women’s 800m, with a time of 2:09.85 in her debut in these games.

Good news for Damien Mizzi in the 400m, when he qualified for the final with the best time of 48.68.

In the heats of the men’s 100m Jacob ElAida Chaffey only placed fifth in his heat with 11.23, and Omar ElAida Chaffey qualified for the final with 11.16. Unfortunately in the final Omar injured his hamstring after the first 60m, finishing eighth with 15.12, and most probably ending his participation here.

In the women’s 100m final Charlotte Wingfield finished a disappointing fifth with 12:00.00