Bowling Malta on song as Abela strikes gold, team takes bronze at Mediterranean Championships

Maltese bowlers at the Mediterranean Championships in San Marino continued to rack in more medals as Sue Abela won the gold medal in the All Events and then also teamed up with Mauro Anastasi, Kayden Lagana and Cynthia Frendo Duca to take bronze in the team competition.

It has been an impressive performance for the Malta selection at these prestigious championships as Friday’s medals increase our country’s tally at this competition to five medals after Abela and Frendo Duca had won silver in the doubles while Anastasi and Lagana took bronze in the men’s category.

On Thursday, Abela and Lagana had also added a bronze medal in the mixed doubles competition.

Abela took centre stage for Malta as her strong performance in the mixed team competition saw her soar to an impressive victory in the All Events, which adds together each athletes’ performance in the championship, to strike gold.

The veteran Maltese bowler finished as a clear-cut winner with an overall tally of 4,701 pins – just less than 100 more than second-placed Alija Bergauer, of Slovenia, who had 4,617 while Alexandra Lopes, of France, took bronze on 4,606.

For Abela, Friday’s triumph means that she has now won a staggering 37 gold medals at these championships during her career.

Frendo Duca secured a tenth-place finish with 4,477 pins.

In the men’s All Events, Lagana finished in fifth place on 5,318 pins while Anastasi finished 14th, on 4,891,

Lagana’s performance enabled him to break his own national youth record by 99 pins.

In the team event, the Maltese bowlers combined a score of 4,851 pins that enabled them to snatch comfortably third place on the podium, ahead of Slovenia.

The gold medal went to France on 5,071 while Turkey took silver on 4,898.

Malta can aspire for more medals on Saturday as Abela and Lagana have both qualified for the final.