Matthew Mifsud has made Maltese sporting history after becoming the first male powerlifter from the country to win a medal at the IPF World Championships.Representing Malta in the Junior Men’s 74kg category, Mifsud put on an incredible performance at the IPF Junior World Championships in Sun City, South Africa, taking home not one, but two bronze medals.Competing on 26th August, the young Maltese athlete secured bronze in the squat after lifting an impressive 245kg, before adding another bronze with a massive 285kg deadlift.Mifsud also recorded a 155kg bench press, bringing his total across the three disciplines to 685kg and earning him 101.35 GL Points.The performance saw him finish sixth overall in the world, while becoming the first male Maltese powerlifter to win a World Championship medal.And his success in South Africa follows another major international achievement less than a year ago.At the IPF Junior European Championships in December 2025, Mifsud won gold in the squat after successfully lifting 260kg.It means the Maltese powerlifter has now reached the podium at both of his two most recent international competitions, first on the European stage and now at the World Championships.From European gold to two World Championship bronze medals and a piece of Maltese sporting history, it’s been quite a year for Matthew Mifsud.Huge congratulations, Matthew!•