Kyle Micallef has just returned from Iran where he represented Malta for the first time at the IWF Grand Prix.

Being a qualifying event for the Olympic Games, the meet in Tehran attracted 20 countries, European and Asian, with top lifters looking to make the most of their final attempt at securing a spot in Rio de Janeiro this summer.

Also making the trip to Iran was Malta Weightlifting Association president Jesmond Caruana.

Micallef competed in the U-85kg category. In the Snatch phase, he opened with a confident 116kgs but was unable to hold his next two attempts – at 121kgs and 122kgs – above his head.

Micallef’s Clean and Jerk lift was significantly better though. He first cleared 143kgs which secured a total for the competition.

On his second attempt at 148kgs, Micallef went on to establish a new national record, improving the old mark, which had stood for ten years, by two kilogrammes.

His third attempt at 151kgs would have meant another Malta record (in the total) but he was unsuccessful in his bid.

Micallef finished the meeting with a total of 264kgs, accumulating 316 points.

He had better performances this season but in Iran Micallef still classified fifth in his group, bettering the results of lifters from Slovenia and Mongolia in the process.

During the IWF Grand Prix, Caruana also acted as a jury member for various events in programme.

In particular, he was present for the feat accomplished by 18-year-old Iran prodigy Kianoush Rostami.

In Tehran, Rostami, the gold medal winner at the 2011 World Championships, broke the oldest world record in senior competition when he clean and jerked 220kgs on his second attempt in the 85kgs championship.