Malta’s first female Olympic weightlifter Yazmin Zammit Stevens set a new national record in the clean and jerk when she competed in the women’s 64kg category at the Tokyo International Forum and became the first-ever Maltese female weightlifter to hit the Olympic stage after finishing third in Category B.
Despite the impressive performance, Australia’s Kiana Rose Elliot and Nicaragua’s Sema Nancy Ludrick Rivas beat Zammit Stevens in Group B. She did, however, finish above Tunisia’s Chaima Rahmouni who failed to finish.
This was the second time that Malta has competed in weightlifting but Zammit Steven’s participation put her in the Maltese history books as being the first Maltese female weightlifter to compete in the games.
The Maltese Olympic Committee announced that local badminton sensation, Matthew Abela, will form part of the Maltese committee at the forthcoming Olympics in Tokyo.
Abela, a six-time Maltese singles champion, has been competing in the sport from a very young age. He was introduced to badminton by his father, who also coaches. His big break happened when he was selected to join Badminton Europe’s Centre of Excellence, based in Denmark, in 2017. He spent three years gaining valuable international experience and training with the best athletes and coaches.
At just 22 years of age, Matthew has competed in countless major international tournaments abroad, from Egypt and Bahrain to Ukraine and Portugal.
The 2020 Summer Olympic Games are scheduled to take place between 23rd July and 8th August in Tokyo.
