Maltese Athletes Sprinted, Soared And Smashed At National Championships
The National Athletics Championships, hosted by Athletics Malta at the Marsa Athletics Track, marked the much-anticipated climax to Malta’s track and field season.
Beppe Grillo reaffirmed his dominance in Maltese sprinting with a commanding win in the men’s 100m final. The Pembroke athlete clocked an impressive 10.47s, holding off strong challenges from Omar El Aida Chaffey of Żurrieq (10.53 seconds) and Luke Bezzina (11.00 seconds).
164 athletes competed across three packed days of action, as Malta’s top talent went head-to-head in a showcase of strong performances, thrilling battles and standout moments.
In the women’s 100- metre, 17-year-old Thea Parnis Coleiro (Rush AC) stole the show with a breakthrough performance, setting a new Under-18 Championship record of 11.83 seconds. She edged out Pembroke’s Claire Azzopardi (11.95 seconds) and Alessia Cristina (12.38 seconds) in a thrilling final. Parnis Coleiro went on to claim a sprint double, winning the 200-metres in 24.33 seconds.
La Salle’s Matthew Galea Soler continued his strong season, securing two golds, winning the 200-metre in 21.75 seconds and the 400-metres in 47.63 seconds.
Middle-distance star Gina McNamara also bagged a double gold, dominating both the 800 metres and 1500 metres. She set a Championship Record of 2:05.41 in the 800 metres and followed up with a strong 4:33.29 finish in the 1500 metres. In the 800- metre men, youngster Isaac Bonnici (Rush AC) took top honours among an experienced start-list, clocking 1:53.78.
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Dillon Cassar (Mellieħa AC) extended his winning streak in the 5000 metres, claiming his sixth consecutive title in 14:56.92. He also added the 1500-metre to his haul, winning in 3:58.64. In the 3000-metre steeplechase, Luke Micallef took the title in 9:12.77. However, it was Thomas Grech (La Salle) who made history, finishing second in 10:16.48 to set new Under-20 and Under-23 Championship records.
In the jumps, Rachela Pace capped off a stellar season with victories in both the long jump and triple jump, setting a Championship Record of 12.93 metres in the latter. Among the men, Romeo Flavio won the long jump, while Ian Paul Grech claimed the triple jump title. Bradley Mifsud delivered a dominant performance in the throws, taking gold in the discus, shot put, and javelin.
The hammer throw saw a remarkable performance from 17-year-old Bianca Shoemake (Rush AC), whose 52.20-metre throw not only set a new Under-18 national record but also came just shy of the senior record using a four-kilogram implement. Among the men, Kareem Luca Chouhal secured top honours with a 50.61m throw.
Well done to all the athletes!
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