The Swieqi Phoenix Handball Club's U15 and U17 Girls’ Teams, together with gymnast Philippa Busuttil, are the winners of March’s Atlas Youth Athletes of the Month Award.

The Swieqi handball sides both won their respective Knock-Out competitions and in recognition of this achievement have become the first two teams from the same club to receive this monthly award. The U15 team secured their first title of the season with a 20–9 victory over Kavalieri Handball Club, while the U17 team claimed their second title of the season with a 19–10 win, also against Kavalieri. The U17 team had recently been crowned National League Champion in February, and last weekend, both teams once again claimed victory over Kavalieri to win the Super Cup.

Meanwhile, Philippa Busuttil, 17, who previously won the Atlas Youth Athlete of the Month Award in October 2023, earned the third highest beam score at Italy’s Campionato A2 Ginnastica Artistica. The young Maltese gymnast competed in this Senior High Level International Championship alongside 48 other athletes. That same month, she also reclaimed the title of Malta’s FIG Senior Champion.

The Atlas Youth Athlete of the Month Award was presented to the Swieqi Phenix Handball captains and to Philippa Busuttil by Matthew von Brockdorff, Managing Director and CEO of Atlas Insurance, together with Robert Micallef, Chief Commercial Officer. The Malta Sports Journalists Association was represented by President Clinton Buhagiar and Administrator Stephen Azzopardi.

Prior to this presentation, Caden Tanti, one of the previous month’s winners, was presented with his trophy, coinciding with a brief visit to Malta to sit for his O-Level exams.

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

It-timijiet tal-U15 u tal-U17 ta’ Swieqi Phoenix Handball, flimkien mal-ġinnasta Philippa Busuttil,  huma r-rebbieħa tal-Atlas Atleti Żgħażagħ tax-Xahar ta’ Marzu.

It-tfajliet ta’ taħt il-15 u s-17-il sena ta’ Swieqi Phoenix Handball rebħu l-kompetizzjonijiet knock out rispettivi tagħhom u saru l-ewwel żewġ timijiet mill-istess klabb li rebħu dan l-unur. It-tim ta’ taħt il-15-il sena fil-finali għeleb lil Kavalieri Handball Club 20-9. It-tim ta’ taħt is-17-il sena kiseb it-tieni success f’dan l-istaġun meta fil-finali għeleb lill-istess Kavalieri 19-10. Ta’ min jgħid li t-tim ta’ taħt is-17-il sena ta’ Swieqi Phoenix Handball kienu ġew iddikjarati Champions tal-Kampjonat Nazzjonali fi Frar li għadda. Intant is-Sibt u l-Ħadd li għadda, iż-żewġ timijiet rebħu s-Super Cup u għal darb’oħra kontra Kavalieri.

Min-naħa l-oħra, Philippa Busuttil li għandha 16-il sena, u rebħet dan l-unur f’Ottubru tal-2023, kisbet it-tielet l-aħjar punteġġ fil-beam waqt il-Campionato A2 Ginnastica Artistica, fl-Italja. Il-ġinnasta żagħżugħa Maltija ħadet sehem f’din il-kompetizzjoni prestiġġjuża internazzjonali fost 48 parteċipanta oħra. Barra minn hekk hija ċ-champion tal-Kampjonat Nazzjonali tal-Ġinnastika għat-tieni darba konsekuttiva.

Il-preżentazzjoni tal-unur tal-Atlas Atleta Żagħżugħ tax-Xahar lill-captains rispettivi ta’ Swieqi Phoenix Handball u lil Philippa Busuttil saret minn Matthew von Brockdorff, Managing Director u CEO ta’ Atlas Insurance, flimkien ma' Robert Micallef, Chief Commercial Officer. F’isem l-Għaqda Ġurnalisti Sports kien hemm preżenti il-President Clinton Buhagiar u l-Amministratur Stephen Azzopardi.

Intant, qabel din il-preżentazzjoni, Caden Tanti, wieħed mir-rebbieħa tax-xahar ta’ Frar, ingħata t-trofew waqt iż-żjara qasira li kellu f’Malta għall-eżamijiet tal-O-Levels.

Dan il-premju ta' kull xahar jingħata b'inizjattiva konġunta bejn l-Għaqda Ġurnalisti Sports flimkien ma' Atlas Insurance. Il-panel li jiġġudika r-rebbieħa ta' dan il-premju jieħu nota tas-suċċessi miksuba matul dak ix-xahar u fl-istess ħin jistieden lill-assoċjazzjonijiet u federazzjonijiet sportivi sabiex jibagħtu n-nomini tagħhom. In-nominati li jiġu evalwati jridu jkunu taħt il-21 sena.

In-nominazzjonijiet għandhom jaslu b’email lil info@maltasportsjournalists.com. Ir-regolamenti ta’ dan l-unur jinsabu fuq is-sit elettroniku tal-Għaqda Ġurnalisti Sports li hu www.maltasportsjournalists.com.