A total of 222 young athletes took part in the National Youth Athletics Championships at the Marsa Athletics Track, turning the venue into a lively showcase of youth sport and emerging talent across track and field.
The event produced several strong performances, with a number of athletes particularly catching the eye.
Rush AC’s Sophia Curmi set a national best in the hammer throw in her age category, reaching an impressive distance of 55.44m. Her clubmate Thomas Neil Attard came close to a similar achievement in the 100m hurdles, clocking 14.70 seconds, but the effort was ruled out due to a slightly excessive wind reading of 2.1m/s. Curmi rounded off an outstanding day by also winning the shot put and discus throw to complete a treble.
Two championship records were broken during the event. Pembroke’s Ella Borg Degiorgio set a new Under 16 benchmark in the pole vault, clearing 2.90m, while Asia Psaila broke the Under 14 discus record with a throw of 25.74m.
La Salle’s Matteo Gauci had a remarkable afternoon, winning the 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m, and also finishing third in the 100m.
The sprint events drew competitive fields throughout. In the Under 16 category, Rush AC’s Nicole Balzan won the girls’ 100m in 12.71 seconds and followed up with victory in the 200m in 26.47 seconds. Pembroke’s Jamie Borg took the boys’ 100m title in 11.76 seconds, and also won the long jump with a leap of 5.77m, while teammate Miah Ani won the girls’ long jump with 5.04m.
In the Under 14 sprints, Pembroke’s Kaine Micallef won the boys’ 100m in 12.86 seconds, with Rush AC’s Martina Mintoff taking the girls’ race in 12.93 seconds.
Over the longer distances, Pembroke’s Jack Herrera Role stood out in the Under 14 1000m, also winning the high jump and finishing runner-up in both the 75m hurdles and the long jump.
Rush AC rounded off a fine day by winning all four relay races, taking both the boys’ and girls’ titles in the Under 16 and Under 14 categories, ahead of Pembroke Athleta.
