Weightlifting prodigy Tenishia Thornton placed 10th overall at the European Championships, the highest ever result for a Maltese weightlifter at the event. 

At 15-years-old, Thornton continues to push the boundaries of weightlifting in Malta and was also the youngest athlete to compete at the senior event. She finished first place in the 49kg B group category with a total lift of 159kgs, breaking commonwealth youth records and five national records in the process. 

Thornton’s impressive results meant that she finished in 10th place overall – the best-ever result for a Maltese weightlifter at the European Championships.

 

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She also scored 489 Olympic qualification points and moved to Diamond Level in the Malta Weightlifting Association rankings.

This comes months after Thornton came in third at the Youth World Championships. Lovin Malta spoke to the promising weightlifter earlier this year to better understand what it takes to be an elite in a sport dominated by men. 

Also featuring at the European Championships was Maltese weightlifter Yasmin Zammit Stevens who managed to break two national records eight weeks removed from wrist surgery. 

Zammit Stevens finished with a total of 190kgs and scored 383 Olympic qualification points. She finished in 21st place in the 71kg category.

 

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The European Championships was the last chance for senior athletes to qualify for the Olympic Games this summer. Meanwhile, Thornton will begin preparations for the IWF World Juniors set to take place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from 21st to 31st May. 

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