Last Sunday, the Maltese Weightlifting Association hosted its annual National Championships at the Cottonera Sports Complex. This event had a turnout of more then 30 athletes from all ages who have offered a stunning performance for the spectators present.
In the cadet section dedicated to athletes who are younger than the age of 13, participants have entertained their watchers with their charming behavior and wonderful techniques. The 30kg category was won by Rylee Borg with a total of 107 points. The 35kg cat. was won by Shardon Cassar with 111 points while the 62 cat. saw on the podium Blake Vassallo who totaled 104 points. In the female section, Alexia Guiga won the 44kg cat. and Amy Zammit the 48kg cat.
The second competition was dedicated to youth athletes younger then 15 and 17 years. In the male section: Malcolm Camilleri won the 50 cat. with a 102 points, breaking as well a national record. The 56 category was won by Matthew Grech with a total of 110kg followed by Kirstin Coleiro. In the heavier categories; Keiran Mifsud won the 85kg with a total of 160kg and Owen Bugeja won the 94kg while shattering 4 national records with a total of 162 kg. Both Andy Grech and Kirsten Scerri showed a solid performance although they are still new to the sport.
In the female section; the 48 cat. was won by Francesca Mercieca with a total of 54kg, the 53 cat was won by Anthea Camilleri with a total of 63kg and the 63 cat was won by Beatrix Galea with a total of 66kg. Nicole Gatt won the 58 cat with a total of 113kg while breaking 5 national records. On the other hand Ivana Micallef proved her worth when breaking 8 national records in the 69+ category.
In the third group dedicated to femal adults Jessica Chigo won the competition with a total of 155 kg. She was followed by Marilyn Grech, Marion Pullicino and Amanda Cassar. For this competition, Vicky Kerr, an english athlete was invited to compete and obtained a total of 140kg.
In the fourth competition the male adults came head to head to stand their ground. The 85 cat was won by Rodmar Pulis with total of 229kg followed by Ryan Agius and Charles Degiorgio. The 94 cat was won by Matthew Muscat Inglott with a total of 241kg followed by Noel Coleiro.
The Female overall was won by Jessica Chigo with 186 points, followed by Nicole Gatt (170 pts) and Ivana Micallef respectively (126 pts). The Male overall was won by Rodmar Pulis with a total of 283 pts followed by Matthew Muscat Inglott totalling 276 points and Noel Coleiro with 257 points.