Beppe Grillo and Claire Azzopardi celebrated their first wins of the season, clinching victory in the 60m sprint at the Athletics Malta Winter Championship in Marsa. The event, featuring more than 90 athletes competing from heats to finals, highlighted an exciting day of competition.
In the men’s 60m final, Pembroke athlete Grillo secured the top spot with a time of 6.86 seconds, beating Żurrieq’s Jacob El Aida Chaffey, who finished in 7.07 seconds, and Kurt Zahra of Rush AC, who placed third with 7.19 seconds.
The women’s race was a closely contested battle, with Pembroke’s Azzopardi taking gold in 7.75 seconds, just 0.02 seconds ahead of Rush’s Thea Parnis Coleiro. Alessia Cristina claimed third place, clocking 8.05 seconds.
Parnis Coleiro later redeemed herself in the 300m, securing victory in 40.66 seconds. On the men’s side, Pembroke’s Graham Pellegrini put on an impressive performance, winning in 35.16 seconds after fending off a challenge from his young teammate Nick Bonett.
In the 600m, athlete of the year Janet Richard continued her winning streak, claiming gold with a time of 1:31.43. However, the spotlight was shared with Mireya Bugeja, who placed second in 1:34.70 and set national records in both the Under-20 and Under-23 categories. In the men’s 600m, Rush AC’s Isaac Bonnici dominated the field, winning in 1:21.04, with Luke Camilleri finishing second in 1:25.19.
The 1000m race provided a thrilling finish, with Michael Debattista Segond crossing the line in 2:34.40, just half a second ahead of runner-up Jean Paul Debono. La Salle’s young talent, Matteo Gauci, made headlines with a time of 2:42.93, setting a national record in the Under-16 category.
In the field events, Mireya Cassar impressed with a 50m throw in the senior hammer competition, while Bianca Shoemake continued her progression by throwing 53.59m in the 3kg category.
The long jump event saw Zurrieq’s Romeo Flavio secure gold with a leap of 6.39m in the men’s competition, while Thea Parnis Coleiro capped off her day with a third medal, winning the women’s long jump with a 5.24m effort.
The championship served as a promising start to the athletics season, with standout performances across multiple events and categories, signalling a bright year ahead for Maltese athletes.
