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 | |||||||||
| n° | 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 |
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