The European Weightlifting Junior and Under 23 Championships 2017 took place in Durres, Albania between 14th to 21st October The event was attended by Europe’s leading athletes totaling 345 from 35 different countries. All athletes being in top form ahead of the World Championships set to take place next month. The championships were also of outmost important for a few commonwealth countries as it was last chance to qualify for the Games next year.
Malta’s leading junior athlete, Kieran Mifsud, was the only Maltese lifter in Albania coached by Jesmond Caruana.
Following his stellar performance in the commonwealth championships in Australia only a few weeks ago, it was a tough ask for him to further improve on that result at this meet. However, he still had extra kilos to give. He finished with a 131kg snatch and a 171kg clean and jerk with a total of 302kg and broke 6 national records 3 in juniors and another 3 in seniors in the 105kg category.
Along with these records, he finished 3rd in the Snatch, 2nd in the clean and jerk and 3rd in the total in the 105kg B group. Georgia placed first in the overall followed by Armenia, Bulgaria, Belarus, Russia, Poland, Latvia, Great Britain, Malta, Lithuania and Albania.