MWA Awards 2021

The annual Malta Weightlifting Association award ceremony was held with a difference this week due to the increasing numbers of COVID cases. This year, only the winners were invited to a sit down event were they were awarded for their successes in 2021.

There’s no doubt, year after year, the MWA has been celebrating growing successes. Following a very difficult year of uncertainties, cancelled competitions, and undesirable training situations, the MWA has come out on top in 2021. In fact, last year we saw Malta Weightlifting participate in all 4 major championships; European Championships, World Championships, Commonwealth Championships and Olympic Games.

The biggest awards of the night went to Tenishia Thornton, who won the Diamond Award for her exceptional results in the last year. Despite having to deal with an ongoing injury for most of 2021, she managed a series of successful results throughout the year. Namely, her 10th place finish at the senior European championships in Moscow and her bronze medal at the Commonwealth championships. Tenishia was also awarded for most national records broken in 2021. She has broken 83 records across the 49kg, 55kg and 59kg weight categories in the U17, U20, U23 and senior age groups.

Yazmin Zammit Stevens was also awarded and recognized for being the first female athlete representing the MWA at the Tokyo Olympics last summer. Zammit Stevens also managed to win a bronze medal at the commonwealth championships and finish in 13th overall at the World championships.

15 year old Rylee Borg was next in line for most national records broken following Thornton. He managed to break a whopping 64 national records across multiple weight categories and age groups. He also managed to win the bronze level award for this achievements this year. Athlete Kim Camilleri Lagana and Roberta Tabone were also awarded the bronze level award.

Other awarded handed out during the other were the Most Improved awards, won by male athlete Nathan Mifsud (+78 points) and female athlete Aaliyah Gatt (+30 points). The most improved new comer award went to Kaya Curmi Inguanez who improved her Sinclair points by 26points.

The Commitment award of the year 2021 was won by Luke Treebyward who had shown great promise and determination in his training.

The awards were handed out by President of the MWA Mr. Jesmond Caruana and MWA secretary Mr. Matthew Camilleri.

Mr. Jesmond Caruana ended the ceremony describing a year of success and the plans for the coming year. The commonwealth Games being the main focus for 2022. Other main competitions for the upcoming year include European Championships for both senior and youth athletes and the World Championships which will so be the first qualifying event for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

  2021 MWA Ranking list              
Name Born Club Sex B.W. Total Point Grade % ER
1 Tenishia THORNTON 2005 ALPHA WL W 48.52 159 249.90 DIAMOND 100.77
  NIL             PLATINUM  
  NIL             GOLD  
  NIL             SILVER   
2 Yazmine Z. STEVENS 1993 ALPHA WL W 66.50 195 247.56 BRONZE 84.49
3 Rylee BORG 2006 ALPHA WL M 70.20 207 272.31 BRONZE 83.79
4 Kim CAMILLERI LAGANA 2008 ALPHA WL W 38.65 96 183.55 BRONZE 82.31
5 Roberta TABONE 1994 PHAT Barbell W 69.22 189 234.66 BRONZE 80.09
6 Aaliyah GATT 2008 ALPHA WL W 42.00 93 164.85 A 73.92
7 Kelsey SPITERI 2004 THE PIT W 53.40 125 182.80 A 73.71
8 Vlad BALDACCHINO 1995 ALPHA WL M 97.50 286 320.16 A 73.26
9 Anton MICALLEF 1991 TRAINING ROOM M 81.00 255 309.98 B 70.93
10 Kaya CURMI INGUANEZ 2007 ALPHA WL W 42.65 87 152.15 B 68.23
11 Pamela PSAILA 1981 THE PIT W 61.50 150 199.52 B 68.10
12 Shaun CIANTAR 1993 TRAINING ROOM M 71.70 224 291.01 B 66.59
13 Julia GRIMA 2010 ALPHA WL W 52.85 99 145.87 B 65.41
14 Ryan DEGIORGIO 1999 CROSSFIT 356 M 77.70 226 280.72 B 64.24
15 Rodmar PULIS 1994 ALPHA WL M 79.90 227 277.87 C 63.59
16 Elisia SCICLUNA 1992 ALPHA WL W 87.55 167 185.98 C 63.48
17 Matthew CAMILLERI 1984 CROSSFIT 356 M 87.65 225 263.36 C 60.27
18 Daryl BORG 1987 THE PIT M 81.35 213 258.36 C 59.12
19 Luana VELLA 1998 THE PIT W 58.35 125 171.97 C 58.69
20 Kyle MICALLEF 1987 CROSSFIT 356 M 82.65 210 252.73 C 57.83
21 Luke TREEBY WARD 2004 ALPHA WL M 80.85 178 216.58 C 57.76
22 Mariah BUGEJA 2005 ALPHA WL W 69.50 115 142.47 C 57.45
23 Russel BUGEJA 1999 THE PIT M 86.15 212 250.12 C 57.24
24 Matthew ABELA 1994 ALPHA WL M 72.40 192 248.03 D 56.76
25 Keith AZZOPARDI 1998 DEGREE + um M 78.95 199 245.11 D 56.09
26 Nikolai MUSCAT 2006 ALPHA WL M 78.95 148 182.29 D 56.09
27 Nathan MIFSUD 2010 ALPHA WL M 37.65 84 182.12 D 56.04
28 Izaak MIFSUD 1993 THE PIT M 135.35 236 241.26 D 55.21
29 Rebecca FALZON 1994 THE PIT W 44.20 94 159.42 D 54.41
30 Kristina VASSALLO 2007 ALPHA WL W 47.90 74 117.49 D 52.69
31 Rheanna BRIFFA 2003 ALPHA WL W 52.35 93 137.98 D 52.07
32 Mariah GRIMA 2005 ALPHA WL W 51.50 79 118.63 E 47.84
33 Nicole BORG 1998 THE PIT W 57.15 100 139.49 E 47.61
34 Lyla TABONE 2006 ALPHA WL W 68.05 81 101.51 E 45.52
35 Quentin BUGEJA 1998 CROSSFIT 356 M 93.20 165 188.06 E 43.03
36 Shayelle AZZOPARDI 2003 ALPHA WL W 65.75 89 113.73 E 42.92
37 AnneMarie SPITERI 1989 TRAINING ROOM W 66.55 97 123.09 E 42.01
38 Michaela BUGEJA GATT 2008 ALPHA WL W 91.55 85 93.12 E 41.76
39 Katyana FARRUGIA  2003 ALPHA WL W 91.95 79 86.41 F 32.61
40 Samuel DARMANIN 2007 #ONTHEMOVE ALPHA M 53.10 60 95.69 F 29.44
41 Luca SAID 2012 ALPHA WL M 54.95 60 93.20 F 28.68
42 Clive CASSAR 1990 YAZMIN LIFTS M 83.35 90 107.87 F 24.68
43 Yan CAMILLERI 2008 ALPHA WL M 87.90 72 84.17 F 25.90
44 Nathan BALZAN 2010 ALPHA WL M 33.20 30 74.19 F 22.83
45 Kaden FARRUGIA 2007 #ONTHEMOVE ALPHA M 79.95 58 70.98 F 21.84
46 Lugher DEBATTISTA  2004 #ONTHEMOVE ALPHA M 64.40 45 62.48 F 16.66
47 Craig PACE 2008 #ONTHEMOVE ALPHA M 61.20 38 54.60 F 16.80
48 Kayden PACE 2009 #ONTHEMOVE ALPHA M 66.45 39 53.07 F 16.33
49 Kayleigh MANGION 2003 ALPHA WL W 63.50 32 41.74 F 15.75
50 Joshua GAUCI SAVONA 2008 #ONTHEMOVE ALPHA M 81.65 36 43.59 F 13.41
51 Kieren ZAMMIT 2009 #ONTHEMOVE ALPHA M 57.00 28 42.32 F 13.02