After achieving the Atlas Youth Athlete of the Month for October, the young weightlifter Tenishia Thornton has now been awarded with the Atlas Youth Athlete of the Year Award 2024. For Tenishia Thornton it’s the third time after she has won the first edition of this award, which took place in 2020 and the 2022’s edition.

She won this prestigious award after a combined vote by a panel of three sports journalists and a public vote which was held online over the past weeks. Runners up are the Blackball duo Jake Castaldi and Dielyn Edwards followed by the young sailor Katrina Micallef.

Tenishia Thornton, aged 19, was crowned as the new European Champion at the European Junior Championships in Warsaw, Poland.

Thornton kicked off the Snatch portion with an impressive 86 kilogrammes lift and finally made a successful attempt at 89 kilogrammes. In the Clean and Jerk, Thornton started strongly at 107 kilogrammes, as she aimed for 110 kilogrammes, only to falter on the jerk. In her final dramatic attempt, she summoned every ounce of strength and determination, smashing the bar with a spectacular lift of 112 kilogrammes! Tenishia Thornton not only secured her spot at the top but also set a new national record. With a total lift of 201 kilogrammes, Thornton outpaced Spain who finished with 194 kilogrammes and Romania at 196 kilogrammes.

Tenishia Thornton was officially presented the annual award and the sports apparel voucher by Matthew von Brockdorff, Managing Director and CEO and Robert Micallef, Chief Commercial Officer of Atlas Insurance. The Malta Sports Journalists Association was represented by General Secretary Lorraine Cunningham and Administrator Stephen Azzopardi.

In the meantime, Atlas Insurance has confirmed that it has renewed the collaboration with the Malta Sports Journalists Association for another year in relation to this initiative aimed at promoting young Maltese athletes.

These awards are 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.

Wara li rebħet l-unur tal-Atlas Atleta Żagħżugħa tax-Xahar għal Ottubru, il-weightlifter żagħżugħa Tenishia Thornton rebħet l-Atlas Atleta Żagħżugħa tas-Sena 2024.

Din hija t-tielet darba għal Tenishia Thornton wara li li rebħet l-ewwel unur annwali li kien fis-sena 2020 u l-unur annwali tal-2022. B’hekk dan l-unur attwali u prestiġġjuż wasal wara votazzjoni minn panel ta’ tliet ġurnalisti mħallta mal-votazzjoni tal-pubbliku, li saret online matul dawn l-aħħar ġimgħat. Fit-tieni post overall ġew id-duo tal-Blackball Jake Castaldi u Dielyn Edwards segwiti mill-baħħara żagħżugħa Katrina Micallef.

Tenishia Thornton li għandha 19-il sena, ġiet inkurunata bħala Champion Ewropea fil-European Junior Championships li saru f’Varsavja, fil-Polonja.

Thornton bdiet bi Snatch impressjonanti ta’ 86 kilogramma u wettqet b’suċċess l-aħħar refa’ ta’ 89 kilogramma. Fil-Clean and Jerk, Thornton kellha sfida akbar, meta bdiet b’refa’ ta’ 107 kilogrammi, meta hi immirat għall-110 kilogramma, hekk kif falliet fil-Jerk. Madanakollu fl-aħħar tentattiv tagħha hija kellha refa’ spettakolari ta’ 112-il kilogramma! B’hekk Tenishia Thornton mhux biss aċċertat postha fil-quċċata imma kisbet record nazzjonali. Thornton kellha total ta’ 201 kilogramma u għaddiet lir-reffiegħa Spanjola li kellha 194 kilogramma u dik tar-Rumanija li kellha total ta’ 196 kilogramma.

Il-preżentazzjoni uffiċjali ta’ dan it-trofew annwali u l-voucher ta’ abiljament sportiv abbinat ma’ dan il-premju lil Tenishia Thornton saret minn Matthew von Brockdorff, Managing Director u CEO flimkien ma' Robert Micallef, Chief Commercial Officer ta' Atlas Insurance. F’isem l-Għaqda Ġurnalisti Sports kien hemm preżenti is-Segretarju Ġenerali Lorraine Cunningham u l-Amministratur Stephen Azzopardi.

Intant, Atlas Insurance ikkonfermaw li se jġeddu l-ftehim marbut ma’ din l-inizjattiva mal-Għaqda Ġħaqda Ġurnalisti Sports għal sena oħra.

Dawn il-premji ta' kull xahar u dak ta’ darba f’sena jingħataw b'inizjattiva konġunta tal-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. Ir-rebbieħa ta’ kull xahar huma eliġibli għall-premju annwali.

In-nominazzjonijiet għandhom jaslu b’imejl lil info@maltasportsjournalists.com.

Ir-regolamenti ta’ dan l-unur jinsabu fuq is-sit elettroniku tal-Għaqda Ġurnalisti Sports li hu www.maltasportsjournalists.com.