Pembroke Athleta sprinter Graham Pellegrini was the star of the show at the fifth Athletics Malta Challenge Meeting of the season, running 10.69 seconds in the 100m to set the quickest Maltese time over the distance so far this year.
Pellegrini went on to complete a sprint double by winning the 200m as well, clocking 21.77 seconds to pip Savio College’s Jordan Pace, who finished just two hundredths of a second back in a tight race.
In the women’s sprints, Claire Azzopardi again got the better of Rush AC’s Thea Parnis Coleiro. Azzopardi took the wind-assisted 100m in 11.62 seconds, with Parnis Coleiro second in 11.80 seconds, and the pair finished in the same order in the 200m, where Azzopardi won in 23.89 seconds to Parnis Coleiro’s 24.24 seconds.
There were also some impressive performances from Malta’s younger athletes. Thomas Neil Attard set a new Under-16 national record in the 100m hurdles, clocking 15.17 seconds, adding to a run of promising results in the junior age groups.
A second Under-16 national record came from La Salle’s Matteo Gauci in the 800m. Gauci ran 1:59.88 to finish second behind his teammate Julian Zarb, who won in 1:55.60.
The young throwers caught the eye too, with Sophia Curmi throwing 53.36 metres in the hammer with a 3kg implement, and Kareem Luca Chouhal reaching 51.65 metres with a 7.26kg hammer.
Despite tricky wind conditions for the longer events, Isaac Bonnici put in another solid run in the 400m, clocking 49.19 seconds, while Julian Zarb impressed again with his 800m win in 1:55.60.
Focus now turns to one of the highlights of the Athletics Malta calendar, with the Youth National Athletics Championships due to take place next weekend at Marsa Stadium. Athletes will be competing for national titles in their age groups, and a number will also be chasing qualifying standards for international competitions later in the summer.
