The test competition was held as an opportunity for lifters to get some qualification lifts in ahead of the World Single-event Championships in Antwerp next month. Out of the 16 lifters present, 8 secured their passage and have confirmed their place on the Malta National Team for Belgium.
Matthew Muscat Inglott took the competition overall on points, with Sean Galea in second and Emmanuel Schembri in third. The action kicked off with some serious squatting all round. Josephine DeMaria Casabene became the first woman to register a total in a Local Powerlifting event. Her squat of 75kgs at 47.5kgs bodyweight means she is a hot prospect for chasing the world record mark which stands just 15kgs away at 90kgs. Only time will tell what the iron wielding diva will cook up in her next outing to the lifting platform.
Emmanuel Schembri dazzled the audience with some breath-taking squatting. In his third attempt he equalled Mario Mifsud's national record of 220kgs in the 125kg class. He decided to go for glory and took a fourth attempt at 225kgs to secure his name in the record books. He raised the bending bar in perfect style.
Sean Galea weighed in at a ripped-to-shreds 66.8kgs to challenge junior European Champion Daniel Debono's dominance in the 67.5kg class. This he did in grand style as he broke all four records with a 155kg squat, a 110kg bench press, 200kg deadlift, and 460kg total, leaving the young Debono with some catching up to do. Galea has now accumulated 337 Schwartz points which means he joins the ranks of Malta's elite lifters at number 3, proving he is ready for world class competition.
Equally as impressive was Charles Degiorgio's clean up of the 75kg class. Teenage prodigy Kurt Bullock, who held the total record until yesterday, turned up determined to break the other three records which were previously held by Sean Galea and Emmanuel Vidal. This he did, but he didn't bank on Charles Degiorgio making his weight category. Degiorgio competed at 82.5kgs back in March, but successfully dropped weight to take the 75's by storm. He snatched all the 75kg class records with a 150kg squat, 120kg bench, and 205kg deadlift.
By the time the deadlifts kicked off, the competition had already dealt some damaging blows to the record books, but there was plenty more to come. At just 19 years old, Nikita Taliana hoisted Malta's heaviest female deadlift of 130kgs securing her place on the National Team. Marielle Incorvaja replied with a 125kg pull. She will also be making the passage to Antwerp where she stands a good chance to take the Masters 1 category.
European number 3 in the 82.5kg class Matthew Muscat Inglott smashed his own national deadlift record when he picked up 245kgs at 77.7kgs bodyweight making this the first triple bodyweight Deadlift by a Maltese powerlifter, with a good 10kgs to spare. If he can drop to 75kgs for Antwerp and repeat this performance, there's a serious chance for another gold for Malta.
Malta's strongest man and top ranked powerlifter Mario Mifsud turned up to polish his deadlifting form before he joins the National Team next month. Another hot prospect for awards in Antwerp, he lifted all four of his deadlifts in convincing fashion, rounding off with 305kgs for a new 125kg national record. When this beast is let loose on the international stage next month, heads will turn and floors will rumble.
Edward Attard, Jean-Luc Micallef, Luke Zahra, and Andre Lupi made their debuts while Adrian Debattista continued to polish off his competitive game. The event ran smoothly under the guidance of officials and helping hands Nikolai Borg, Niki Young and Adelia Saliba.
The Malta National team for the World Single-lift Championships will be composed of Emmanuel Schembri for squats on the 9th of October, Nikolai Borg and possibly Charles Degiorgio will bench on the 10th, while Nikita Taliana, Marielle Incorvaja, Mario Mifsud and Matthew Muscat Inglott will be raising hell in deadlifts on the final day of the championship series on the 11th.
