The Maltese National Weightlifting team delivered an outstanding performance at the European Union Cup in Romania, securing multiple medals and setting new national records in a landmark event for Maltese weightlifting.
The highlight of the competition was Tenishia Thornton, who captured the prestigious European Union U-20 Championship title. Thornton showcased her skill and dominance by completing all three of her lifts in the Snatch, with a best lift of 87kg. Her stellar performance continued in the Clean & Jerk, where she achieved a best lift of 110kg, giving her a total of 257 points. This impressive result placed her 13 points ahead of the runner-up, comfortably securing the gold medal and the U-20 champion title.
In the Male U-15 category, Nathan Mifsud made history by winning a Bronze Medal, marking Malta’s first-ever European Cup medal in this division. Mifsud successfully completed all six of his lifts, achieving 79kg in the Snatch and 98kg in the Clean & Jerk, an impressive achievement given his 54kg bodyweight. He also set several national records. Mifsud narrowly missed out on the Silver Medal by just 0.6 Sinclair points to a heavier Polish competitor who secured second place with his final lift.
Kim Camilleri Lagana earned a Silver Medal in the Women’s U-17 category with a strong showing. She completed a best lift of 65kg in the Snatch and 87kg in the Clean & Jerk, achieving a total of 232 points. She was narrowly edged out of the Gold Medal by a mere 0.13 points by a Polish athlete, again due to the advantage of lifting later.
In the U-20 Men’s category, Rylee Borg set new senior national records in the Snatch, with lifts of 117kg and 120kg, and achieved a total of 266kg, finishing 4th overall.
Malta’s success continued in the doubles event. Tenishia Thornton and Rylee Borg won Gold in the U-20 division with a combined total of 595 points, beating Belgium (572 points) and Poland (571 points). In the U-17 category, Kim Camilleri Lagana and Nathan Mifsud took Silver with 527 points, finishing behind Poland (581 points) and ahead of Ireland (524 points).
This exceptional performance earned Malta a total of 3 gold, 3 silver, and 1 bronze medal, a remarkable accomplishment for the team.
The Maltese team was led by Jesmond Caruana and Andrea Pace, who also passed her exams to become an International Technical Official (Category One) during the competition.
The Maltese Weightlifting Federation extended its gratitude to the Maltese Olympic Committee and SportMalta for their ongoing support, which made these achievements possible.
