MALTESE ATHLETICS SEASON KICKS OFF WITH WINTER CHAMPIONSHIPS AND INTERNATIONAL RECORDS

The Maltese athletics season began with a bang over the weekend as Athletics Malta hosted its Winter Championships, awarding the first local track and field honours of the year.

On the track, the 60m sprints were a highlight. Omar El Aida Chaffey of Żurrieq won the men’s race in 6.90 seconds, ahead of Pembroke’s Graham Pellegrini and Rush AC’s Luca Gerada. In the women’s 60m, Claire Azzopardi of Pembroke finished first in 7.69 seconds, with Thea Parnis Coleiro of Rush just behind in 7.72 seconds, after setting a new U20 national record in the semi-finals.

Parnis Coleiro also took the women’s 300m in 39.51 seconds, while Matthew Galea Soler of La Salle won the men’s 300m in 33.80 seconds. Other highlights included Nathan Myers claiming the 600m in 1:22.93, Matteo Gauci setting a U16 national best of 1:24.20, and Matthew Azzopardi establishing a new U18 1,000m record of 2:32.93.

In field events, Bradley Mifsud threw 52.80m and Sana Grillo cleared 3.50m in the pole vault. Rush AC’s Thais Catania set a U18 javelin best of 31.00m, while Sophia Curmi narrowly missed the hammer record with 50.23m. Thomas Neil Attard also set a national best in the 60m hurdles with 9.50 seconds.

Maltese athletes shone internationally as well. Mireya Bugeja set a 3,000m national record of 9:34.13 in Indianapolis, and Luke Micallef ran 2:18.05 at the Tokyo Marathon, the second-fastest Maltese time ever.

The strong domestic and international performances mark a promising start to the 2026 athletics season.

#MaltaDaily