Five medals at Trofeo Piskeo (Messina)
Aquahub swimming club just returned from participating at the 19th edition of Trofeo Piskeo in Messina Italy where a host of personal bests and medals proved to be the perfect test of strength and spirit between the International Easter meet competition and the upcoming National Championships to be held at the end of June.
Samuel Camilleri achieved two gold medals in the 100 and 200m butterfly, a silver medal in the 400m freestyle and a bronze in the 200m freestyle while notably Sienna Sammut achieved a bronze medal in the 50m Backstroke. Kaitlyn Muscat missed out the podium with a strong 4th place finish in the 400m Individual Medley – which is one of the toughest and gutsy races.
This participation marked the first international appearance of Aquahub’s Development Squad whose ages range between 10 and 15 years. Such participation at this young age is an investment in their future in the sport as they learn to face tough competition from outside our shores.
One of the proudest moments was seeing true team camaraderie flourish throughout the trip when the older swimmers stepped up as leaders, guiding and supporting the young first-time competitors both in and out of the pool. From warm-ups to cheering each other on, the unity and positive energy were unmistakable — the kind of culture Aquahub is proud to build.
This edition of Trofeo Piskeo featured no less than 1400 swimmers not only from Sicily but notably from north Italy and Romania hailing from a total of 40 clubs. Italian national record holders also participated in this high level meet which sees swimmers from young ages to open categories.
The team of 32 swimmers were accompanied by Head Coach Julian Harding and Coach Kairee Farrugia with the assistance of Rossana Oddi. Head Coach Julian Harding said that Trofeo Piskeo is a valuable challenge – offering a higher competition level than what we are used to in Malta and the exposure not only pushed the swimmers to rise to the occasion but also provided a benchmark for where they aim to be.
