LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Beppe Grillo, 21 years old architecture student and sprinter, has just represented Malta on the biggest sporting stage possible, taking on the Olympics Games first round of the 100 metres heats. Grillo participated in Heat 6 of the preliminary round and went into the round with the second-fastest time among the eight different athletes. Unfortunately, by the end of the 100-metre sprint, Grillo could only manage fifth place and therefore failed to progress any further into the competition. Grillòs greatest achievement to date has been clocking a time of 10.23 seconds in the 100 meters at the Balkan Championships, where he also secured Maltàs first bronze medal in the event. That performance earned him a spot as Maltàs wild card in the athletics category for the Olympics Games. His goal in Paris was to surpass his personal best, hoping to reach the semi-finals. In an exclusive interview with Mednews, Beppe Grillo said: “I was anticipating a lot smoother performance. It was over before I could even comprehend it. There is a lesson to be learned in participating here and the more I look forward to this sport, the more I need to mature to be ready for these kinds of competitions”. Only the two top places would have earned Grillo a place into the next round, and this was achieved by Panamàs Arturo Deliser Espinosa and Seychelles’ Dylan Sicobo, who completed the race in 10.34 and 10.51 seconds respectively. Grillo managed a 10.69 seconds, which is 0.46 seconds slower than his national record which he had set last May at the Balkan Championships. Grillo described his performance as “nothing good,” adding: “It was the second slowest time I did this year. I cannot be happy with it when you are at the Olympics which is to perform at your best, but performing consistently at a high level takes experience which I need time to build up”. The Maltese athlete said that now that the Olympics are over, nothing has changed. “They were never an end goal. I see them more as the beginning of my professional career at this level, so after enjoying my summer break, I will be back with my coach to the next cycle for training and competitions where hopefully we start quickly show our potential and talent”. Asked about his career so far, Grillo said: “In the beginning when I started athletics it was nothing really serious, but now in such a short time I realize how far I can go. I want to be able to show that we are nothing short of any other country”.
– Foto Ipa Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
