The European Weightlifting Union Cup was held in Ljubljana, Slovenia from October 13th to 14th. Maltese athletes had a strong start, with Kim Camilleri Lagana delivering outstanding performances, earning the title of the best athlete in the Under 15 category. She achieved a personal best of 59kg in the Snatch and won the Gold medal with 76kg in the Clean and Jerk, accumulating a total of 228 points. Furthermore, despite not competing in the U17 Category, she also achieved the highest points among all athletes.
Aaliyah Gatt, who competed in the same group, also had an impressive performance, lifting a total of 126kg and earning 185 points. Nathan Mifsud, participating in the Under 15 category, had a remarkable competition, lifting 128kg at a body weight of 47kg and scoring 239 points. In the Under 17 category, Kaya Curmi Inguanez had a solid start with a Snatch of 50kg, followed by a 64kg Clean and Jerk, resulting in a total of 186 points.
On the second day of the competition, Rylee Borg competed in the Under 17 category and managed a 108kg Snatch, achieving a new competition best of 138kg in the Clean & Jerk, obtaining a total of 246kg in this highly contested event. Borg amassed 317 points, which placed him in a well-respected 6th place.
In the Women’s Junior U20 category, Mariah Grima and Rheanna Briffa took to the platform. For Mariah, this marked her debut on the international platform, and she managed to successfully complete all her 6 lifts, achieving 51kg in the Snatch and a new personal best of 70kg in the Clean & Jerk, concluding the competition with a total of 121kg and 176 points. Rheanna Briffa, who can still be considered a novice on the international platform, having competed abroad only once, also produced a solid performance with a 50kg Snatch and 70kg Clean & Jerk, obtaining 178 points.
Last on the platform was the veteran Tenishia Thornton, who went head-to-head with some of the greatest Junior athletes in the European Union to win the title. Thornton had a stellar performance in the Snatch, lifting all three lifts for a massive 86kg, which was both a Personal Best and a new National Record in the 64kg category. After the Snatch portion, Tenishia was only 1.5 points behind the gold medallist. Unfortunately, the Clean & Jerks didn’t go very well for Thornton as she missed all her three attempts. The competition was won by Italy. Despite this small setback, Thornton is more determined than ever to continue with her hard work in preparation for the next competition.