Big applause for Malta’s very own Jared Micallef, who competed at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, taking on some of the biggest names in the sport!

Jared ran the 800m heat in 1:46.62 – a strong showing on one of athletics’ toughest stages. While it wasn’t enough to push him into the next round, it still marked an impressive performance alongside the world’s best. His heat was won by Spain’s David Barroso with a time of 1:44.94.

Although Jared entered the competition with the 59th best time out of 63 athletes, he wrapped up his run in 44th place overall. And with his Tokyo time, he’s now officially qualified for the 2026 Commonwealth Games!

This comes after what’s already been a stellar season for the athlete. Earlier this year, Jared smashed the national 800m record at the Australian Championships with a time of 1:46.08. He also bagged a series of silver medals at the Games of the Small States of Europe (GSSE) in Andorra – in the 800m, 1500m, the 4x400 men’s relay, and the 4x400 mixed relay – where he served as one of Malta’s flagbearers.

Hats off to Jared!