MOC to honour best 2011 achievers

Malta’s top sports achievers in 2011 will be honoured tonight during the MOC Sports Awards ceremony, to be held at the Grand Hotel Excelsior.

Ninety-eight athletes from 20 different disciplines have been nominated for the special Platinum and MOC Excellence in Sport, Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze awards.

Double trap shooter William Chetcuti is expected to collect one of the most prestigious prizes. The Mellieħa-born shooter achieved his best ever result last April when he won a World Cup shoot in Beijing, in the process securing a place in next year’s London Olympics.

However, Chetcuti is not the only Maltese sportsman who caught the eye in 2011. The Liechtenstein GSSE, held last June, were a memorable occasion for the Maltese Olympic Committee as Team Malta achieved its best ever result on foreign soil.

Diane Borg was one of the outstanding performers in Vaduz as the 21-year-old won two gold medals and a silver besides setting a series of national records.

The men’s and women’s squash teams also shone in Liechtenstein after completing an en plein of honours.

During tonight’s ceremony, a host of former athletes and officials will be inducted into the MOC Hall of Fame.

The presence of three former Olympic champions is sure to add to the prestige of tonight’s event.

The MOC has managed to lure three Italian greats, namely Pietro Mennea, a 200m gold medallist in the 1980 Moscow Games, Antonio Rossi, a multiple Olympic champion in rowing, and gymnast Yuri Chechi, gold medallist in the 1996 Atlanta Games in the rings event.