This year's Republic Day weightlifting competition was held for the first time at Naxxar's MCAST Campus.

The hugely promising Christian Saliba, 16, left his mark on this event. Having lifted a national youth (U-17) record a couple of weeks ago in Limassol, Cyprus, Saliba re-wrote the record books for the 77kg category with lifts of 75kg in the snatch and 190kg in total. Saliba is working hard in training and the consistency of his results underlines his commitment.

First in line had been Patrick Bonello, 16, who marked his debut in the 56kg category with a total of 80kg. Notwithstanding this being his first competition, Bonello showed excellent concentration which, complimented with further training to polish his technique, should enable him to make significant progress.

Another newcomer at last weekend's competition was Mark Sapiano, 17. This strong young lad lifted in the 95kg category and finished with a 120kg total. Already showing promising technique and agility, Sapiano has a bright future in this sport.

Clint Sammut, 17, now has a full year's training under his belt and this is being reflected in his performances. Possessing fine technique, he hoisted a personal best total of 120kg in the 69kg category.

Senior lifter Stephen Borg enjoyed a successful participation on Republic Day. The 32-year-old is making a steady and consistent comeback since sustaining a serious injury at work last year. He lifted a seasonal best of 191kg in the 85kg category and is showing signs that he'll reach the 200kg mark, quite soon.

Overall it was a pleasant afternoon at Naxxar, with MWF officials David Saliba, Jesmond Caruana and Simon Brincat running a smooth competition in a positive atmosphere.

In a statement, the MWF thanked all those who helped them organise last weekend's competition, particularly the Institute of Building and Construction at MCAST.