Watch that lift! Rylee Borg qualifies for the Commonwealth and European U-17 Championships
Rylee sets personal best lifts in both the snatch and the clean and jerk.
Rylee Borg, a 16-year-old Maltese veteran weightlifter has set new national records by qualifying for the European U-17 and Commonwealth Championships. And what a performance that was! Rylee, a former student at the National Sport School, managed to set personal best lifts of 108kg in the snatch and 133kg in the clean and jerk, weighing just under 81kg.
At a ranking event held by the Malta Weightlifting Association at the Cottonera Sports Complex, numerous national and personal records were broken. Rylee has qualified for the European U-17 and Commonwealth Championships in addition to breaking all national records for all age groups up to and including the U-23.
Meanwhile, Tenishia Thornton used the tournament to complete her preparations before her upcoming appearance at the European Weightlifting Championships on April 17th. She accomplished a remarkable 84 kg snatch, which is just 1 kg less than her personal best. Thornton went on to lift 103 kg in the clean and jerk, which was only three kilograms less than her 64 kg personal best.
Along with her coach, Jesmond Caruana, the Maltese lifter will depart soon for the European Championships in Armenia. There, she will compete in the 59kg division at the continental tournament, which will also count toward her Olympic qualification for Paris 2024.
A 56kg snatch and 72kg clean and jerk were accomplished by Kim Camilleri Lagana, who recently competed in the World Youth Championships in Albania.
In the 102 kg weight category, Vlad Baldacchino set a new national record by performing a 132kg snatch and a 153kg clean and jerk, earning 314 points overall. Baldacchino was followed by Borg, who earned 295 points, while Clive Cassar, who competed in the 89kg weight class and lifted 100kg snatch and 120kg clean and jerk, earned 256 points.
Nathan Mifsud, a student at NSS, also produced some impressive performances. He weighed just over 45kg and performed a 49kg snatch and a 60kg clean and jerk in the youth age group.
In the 59kg division, Luana Vella, who was representing CrossFit356, also achieved a solid finish by increasing her personal bests to 63kg in the snatch and 76kg in the clean and jerk. In the 76kg division, Monica Swayne (WIT) accomplished a 76kg snatch and an 88kg clean and jerk.
The MWA will now carry on with its competitors' training for the European Championships and other important competitions they hope to compete in this year.