Second place for MWA contestant in regional weightlifting championships

This competition serves as a qualification event for Sicilian athletes to participate at the Italian National Championships, and on this occasion, also for the Maltese athletes to test their ability and gain experience in preparation for international events coming up in the beginning of next year.

Both Ryan Agius and Owen Bugeja participated against 11 other athletes in the -85kg weight category, with Agius securing a good performance with a best snatch lift of 110kg, narrowly missing his last attempt of 115kg, and a top clean and jerk of 125kg. This total of 235kg earned him 282 points which secured him first place in the respective category followed by F. Bruno with 265 points and G. Candela with 262 points.

Owen Bugeja, 15 years old, lifted 88kg in the snatch phase, narrowly missing his last attempt of 92kg after losing balance upon attempting to finish the lift. In the clean and jerk phase, Bugeja lifted 100kg. This earned the young lifter a total of 225 points and second place in his category of under-17, first place having been taken by G. Trimarchi with 256 points while S. Macaluso finished third with 147 points.

Martin Pisani then participated in the -105kg category, having had a shaky start in the snatch, still managed to secure a 100kg attempt and a further successful 125kg clean and jerk. This was a positive result for Pisani, since he is recovering from minor injuries. Totaling 248 points saw him take second place, first place having gone to E. Giordano with 270 points and third place taken by G. Mauro with 243 points.

The Maltese athletes were accompanied and coached by Jesmond Caruana.

The MWA participation in this competition was made possible by the help of the Malta Olympic Committee and the friendship with the Sicilian Weightlifting Federation.