Kyle Satariano (Darts) and Rachela Pace (Athletics) are the first two winning athletes of the Atlas Youth Athlete of the Month Award, following their successes in the month of January.

As of this year, the Atlas Youth Athlete of the Month Award will be awarded to two young athletes for their national and international achievements, respectively.

Kyle Satariano, aged 11, won an international darts tournament held in Gevelsberg, Germany. Satariano, who is considered one of the most promising Maltese darts players, was competing in the Under 12 category together with 17 other players.

After finishing top of the group with maximum points, Satariano played in the final against Nevio Rizzo and won 4-0.

Besides being presented with the cup and award certificate, Satariano was also given the opportunity to play in the exhibition doubles match with two-time world champion Gary Anderson.

Kyle Satariano was officially presented with the Atlas Youth Athlete of the Month Award and a sports apparel voucher by Matthew von Brockdorff, Managing Director and CEO of Atlas Insurance, and Robert Micallef, Chief Commercial Officer. The Malta Sports Journalists Association was represented by President Sandro Micallef and General Secretary Lorraine Cunningham.

Rachela Pace, aged 20, set a new national record of 13.29m in the indoor triple jump, breaking the previous record of 12.62m  registered by Rebecca Sarè last year.

Two weeks after her national record in the indoor triple jump, Pace set another impressive record of 6.31m in the indoor long jump, which surpassed the previous national record of 6.08m, recorded by Rebecca Camilleri in 2015.

The Maltese athlete is currently studying at the Fresno State University in California, U.S.A., and the Atlas Youth Athlete of the Month Award  will be presented to her later on this year when she visits her family in Malta.

This award is a joint initiative of the Malta Sports Journalists Association and Atlas Insurance. The adjudicating panel of this award takes note of all the youths’ achievements of the month under review and at the same time it invites local sport associations and federations to send in their nominations for consideration if they feel that any of their under-21 athletes have distinguished themselves during that month. All the monthly winners are eligible for the annual award.

Nominations for this award may be sent via email to info@maltasportsjournalists.com. The rules and regulations of the award can be viewed on the website www.maltasportsjournalists.com

Photo caption: From left: Robert Micallef (Atlas Insurance), Matthew von Brockdorff (Atlas Insurance), Kyle Satariano, Lorraine Cunningham (MSJA) and Sandro Micallef (MSJA).