The final pre-season meeting at the Marsa Stadium delivered two new national record and a series of standout performances, as more than 130 athletes turned up in their final tune up this weekend’s Winter Athletics Championships, the first major highlight of the local track and field season.
The headline performance came from La Salle athlete Matthew Galea Soler, who produced a national and Under-23 record in the 600m, stopping the clock with an impressive 1:17.93. The time marks a significant milestone for Maltese middle-distance running and places Galea Soler among the country’s leading prospects ahead of the championship season.
Jordan Pace also entered the record books, clocking 39.11 in the 300m hurdles to secure both senior and Under-23 national records in the event. This was his second such accomplishment this season in two appearances on the track.
Sprint action was equally competitive. Omar El Aida Chaffey of Żurrieq won the men’s 60m in a noteable 6.85 seconds, finishing ahead of Pembroke’s Graham Pellegrini (7.12s) and Rush’s Kurt Zahra (7.19s). Pellegrini also claimed top spot in the 300m in 34.59 seconds.
In the women’s 60m, Alessia Cristina (Pembroke) took top spot in 7.94s, with Rush AC athletes Carey Spiteri and Leah Frendo close behind in 8.04s and 8.09s respectively. Frendo, still an Under-16 athlete, impressed once more by winning the 300m in 42.14s, narrowly ahead of Spiteri (42.39s).
In the hammer throw, Under 16 athlete Sophia Curmi won the event, throwing beyond 50m for the first time in her young career (50.07m), just 20cm shy of the national best at her age category.
Jared Micallef makes it a treble of national records.
Meanwhile, in Melbourne, Jared Micallef shattered another national record at the Box Hill Burn event, en route to winning the 1000m race with 2:23.61. Last Summer, he had also broken the 800m national record at the Australian Championships in Perth, finishing
fifth in 1:46.08. He is also the 1500m national record holder, set in Marsa, back in 2023, with a time of 3:44.48.
Beyond Malta’s shores, three athletes represented the country at the Balkan Indoor Athletics Championships in Belgrade. Jorrin Busuttil clocked 7.23s in the 60m, while Claire Azzopardi and Thea Parnis recorded 7.73s and 7.81s respectivel
