Maltese sprinters for European and junior championships
Attard qualifies automatically for China worlds
Although the local athletic season came to an end last week with the Summer Track and Field meeting, the MAAA now turns its attention to participation in two major international championships this season - the European Championships and the World Junior Championships.
In the Europeans, being held in Goteborg between August 7 and 13, the MAAA will be represented by Diane Borg and Darren Gilford. They will be taking part in the 100m and it appears that they are both in good form.
In a competition in Hungary last month, Borg had equalled her personal best of 12.11 seconds after having run a windy 12.03 in the semi-final of the same competition.
Gilford also registered a wind-assisted 10.53 seconds during the Clubs League at Marsa.
In Sweden, Borg and Gilford will be accompanied by Anthony Fava, vice-president of the MAAA.
Anthony Chircop, the president of the association, will also be travelling to Goteborg where he is scheduled to meet high-ranking EAA and IAAF officials to discuss matters which are of concern to the MAAA.
Charlene Attard, who this year set national records in the 60m, 100m, 200m and 4x100m, will be Malta's sole representative at the 11th IAAF Junior World Championships in Beijing between August 15 and 20.
In China, Attard will be taking part in the 200m, an event in which she has managed to achieve the international qualifying mark set by the IAAF for automatic participation in these championships.
Her best time for the distance is 24.56 seconds, achieved in Novi Sad last June. In China, she will be accompanied by Edwin Attard, the MAAA secretary general.
Award of prizes
On August 11, at the Robert Sammut Hall, Floriana, the MAAA will be presenting prizes in connection with the following competitions held in the 2005/6 season: Aggregates, Road Running League, Clubs League, Pentathlon and Cross-Country League.
The association will also be presenting certificates to the successful participants in the Technical Officials' Course held earlier this year.