The opening phase of the Maltese athletics calendar concluded over the weekend with Athletics Malta’s Winter Championships- the traditional meet that awards the first local track and field honours of the year.On the track, the 60-metre sprints once again stole the spotlight. In the men’s race, Omar El Aida Chaffey from Żurrieq crossed the line first in a swift 6.90 seconds, ahead of Pembroke’s Graham Pellegrini in 7.20 seconds, who just edged Luca Gerada of Rush AC by one hundredth of a second.In the women’s race, Claire Azzopardi of Pembroke led in 7.69 seconds, followed closely by Thea Parnis Coleiro of Rush in 7.72 seconds. Parnis Coleiro had earlier run faster in the semi-finals, setting a new U20 national record with a time of 7.67 seconds.Parnis Coleiro bounced back in the 300-metre, winning in 39.51 seconds, ahead of Azzopardi’s 39.90 seconds.In the men’s 300- metre, Matthew Galea Soler of La Salle posted an impressive 33.80 seconds, followed by Pellegrini in 34.66 seconds and Jorrin Busuttil in 35.15 seconds.In the 600- metre, Nathan Myers of Rush AC claimed victory in 1:22.93, while Matteo Gauci of La Salle set a new under-16 national best with 1:24.20. The women’s race was dominated by Janet Richard of Pembroke in 1:31.98.Matthew Azzopardi of La Salle delivered a standout performance in the 1,000m, setting a new under-18 national record of 2:32.93.On the field, Bradley Mifsud returned to strong form with a 52.80- metre win, while Sana Grillo’s 3.50m pole vault earned her a spot at the next CSSE Games.The throws highlighted the emergence of promising young athletes. Thais Catania of Rush AC set a U18 national best in the javelin with 31.00 metres, while her teammate Sophia Curmi threw 50.23 metres in the hammer, narrowly missing the national record by just four centimetres. On track, Thomas Neil Attard also set a national best in the 60- metre hurdles, clocking 9.50 seconds.Well done to all!Credit: James Azzopardi•