International Club weightlifting Competition

The annual Eleiko Weightlifting International Club tournament has once again been a successful meet for the Maltese athletes as many lifters managed to finish at the top of the leader board.

107 clubs with 426 men and 327 women from all over the world participated in this years edition with the best results coming from familiar names. Apart from Malta; Finland, Kiribati, New Zealand, Australia, Solomon Islands, Nauru, South Africa, New Caledonia, Niue, Great Britain, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia participated.

Not a stranger to the podium, youth athletes Tenishia Thornton won the U17 title in the 45kg category at only 13 years of age with her 52kg snatch and 64kg clean and jerk. Another youngster who finished high on the ranking were Tristan Zammit who managed a 2nd place finish with his 92kg snatch and 108kg clean and jerk in the 102+kg U17 category. Shelby Mangion Vassallo's 62kg snatch and 76kg clean and jerk were good enough for a 3rd place finish in the U17 71kg category.

The senior squad also managed great results with Brian Muscat and Vlad Baldacchino both finishing in 3rd place in their respective categories. Brian (-89kg) is not a familiar name on the international scene for Maltese weightlifting, however his recent improvements are implying his name will be mentioned more often in the coming season. Muscat managed a 120kg snatch and 146kg clean and jerk and is on his way to qualify for the upcoming Mediterranean Cup set to take place in San Marino this October. Vlad Baldacchino (-102kg) secured the 3rd place finish with his 128kg Snatch and 155kg clean and jerk.

The Alpha weightlifting Club's combined total points placed them in 11th place out of the 66 clubs competed for the Men's category while the women were ranked in at 21st from 59 competing.