WDFPF president Wim Backelant (above right) was on hand to oversee the event. With the European Championships coming up in June, this was Malta's chance to get some qualifying totals in. Our lifters did not dissapoint, with a unprecedented 8 athletes going on to make the grade. Mr. Backelant later said of our lifters, "I am surprised of the level I saw, especially considering Malta is a starting nation. Some of the lifters are already ready to compete at international level."
The ripped-to-shreds Daniel Debono (left) from the Feelgood Spa Gym was strongest in the 67.5kg class. He totalled 365kgs ending his performance with a brilliant 182.5kgs which, as a junior, places him just 17.5kgs shy of the World record in his age category. Debono now has the World Record firmly in his sights. Daniel Grima from Challenger Gym in Cottonera took the Best Bench medal from Debono with his 97.5kg press, only just missing his final attempt of 100kgs.The 75kg category was closely contested with Kurt Bullock, Elton Caruana, and Sean Galea all gunning for the title having come into the competition with virtually identical best efforts in training.
There is some fierce rivalry between these lifters which made the 75kgs category a truly nail-biting spectacle. Sean Galea (right) built up a small lead over the others in the squat and hung on to it throughout, narrowly capturing the overall title with his 425kg total and impressive final 190kg Deadlift. To top it off, Nikolai Borg stepped in to snatch the Best Bench medal from under the noses of the 3 top dogs with a convincing 102.5kg press. All the lifters in the 75kg category were lifting out of the Feelgood Spa Gym with the exception of newcomer Richard Ellul who has now gained valuable competitive experience.
Bronze medalist at last year's British National Championships in the 82.5kg class Matthew Muscat Inglott (left) took a time-out from organization duties and donned his weightlifting belt for the evening show. He lifted 542.5kgs and a 235kg Deadlift on his way to taking the overall and Best Bench Press titles in the 82.5kg class. Displaying ideal proportions for this weight class, promising new lifter Charles Degiorgio showed he had what it takes to challenge for this title in the near future by registering a convincing first time performance. No doubt we will be seeing a lot more of him on the local lifting platform.
After winning the Challenger Powerlifting Tournament in December '07, Challenger lifter Marvin Cilia (above) registered a solid performance in the 100kg class. His 497.5kg total and 132.5kg Bench Press ensured the category titles were his. Cilia lifted all his attempts in convincing fashion, showing he has a lot left in the tank for his next appearances this season.
Lifting out of the Heavy Metal Gym in Birkirkara Mario Mifsud and Emmanuel Schembri dominated the 110kg and 125kg classes respectively, both handling some awesome poundages to the delight of their spectators. The hulking Mario Mifsud (below) lifted 690kgs in total and pulled 290kgs in the Deadlift, just 30kgs away from the World Record.
At just 21 years of age, the ferocious Emmanuel Schembri (below) went a step further and attempted to equal the 125kgs Junior category World Records in both the Squat and Deadlift. He narrowly missed both attempts however with a full 2 years left in the Junior category, it is only a matter of time before he drives Malta into the record books. He lifted a total of 602.5kgs.
The best three overall pound-for-pound lifters were Mario Mifsud with 371 points, Matthew Muscat Inglott with 346 points, and Emmanuel Schembri with 322 points. The 8 athletes who have surpassed the qualification standard for the international platform and with it a spot on the National Team that will represent Malta at the European Championships in Ireland this June are: Daniel Debono, Kurt Bullock, Elton Caruana, Sean Galea, Matthew Muscat Inglott, Marvin Cilia, Mario Mifsud, and Emmanuel Schembri.
An exciting day of lifting culminated in the presentaion ceremony, drug testing, and after weeks of dieting, a well-deserved booze-up for the lifters at Q Bar at Waterfront. The event was sponsored by the Preluna Hotel and Power Sports of Luqa. Power Sports are the official vendors of all things Powerlifting in Malta.
The whole day of lifting was captured on camera and meet DVD's will be available shortly for a minimal charge of 5 Euros donation to the MDFPA. Please email maltapowerlifting@gmail.com to pre-order your copy.
A big thanks goes out to Mr. Backelant and his wife, Andrea Preca and everyone at the Preluna Hotel and Spa, organizers Tony Camilleri and Matthew Muscat Inglott, spotters and loaders Emanuel Schembri, Dmitry Popovich, Nikolai Borg, Sean Galea, and Daniel Debono, Charmaine Bianco and Adelia Saliba for helping out, and finally all the lifters and spectators for making the Championships a reality and helping create a wonderful atmosphere for all those present. Mr. Backelant praised the organizers saying they were "very courageous" in their efforts.
