Stellar performance by Shelby Mangion Vassallo in the European Union weightlifting cup
The IV European Union Cup was underway this past weekend in the capital of Italy. Malta’s top youth athlete, Shelby Mangion Vassallo was representing Malta at the event accompanied by Jesmond Caruana, who was selected as Jury of the competition together with Gayle Caruana.
The athlete, Shelby, worked well under pressure at the international meet in Rome. With the best youth athletes coming in from around Europe, the competition was one of absolute top level. Mangion Vassallo ended with a 58kg Snatch and 70kg Clean and Jerk finishing with a new national record in total of 128kg. She placed 5th overall with 162 points, only 4 points away from the Spanish in 4th place, with the top 3 athletes in her group being previous European youth champions in the under 15. This meet was the second international competition for the youth athlete this year, where she has now achieved stellar performances in both. This preparation is proving to strengthen the athlete’s work and further prepare her for next year’s Youth Olympic Games set to take place in Buenos Aires.