As Force 5 to 6 winds battered the Matthew Micallef St John Stadium on Saturday afternoon, hopes for impressive timings or distances were scant, but the crowd was still delighted with two stunning displays of athletic performance which deservedly go down as national records.

In the very last event of the third Open Challenge Meeting, Luke Micallef delivered a superb performance on the 3,000m steeplechase dipping under the GSSE qualifying standards (9.10.00) with a 9:09.00 timing.

For the Pembroke athlete, this timing represents not only a new national record, but an improvement of a staggering nine seconds on the previous best, which he had set last July at the National Championships.

Earlier in the day, La Salle’s Nicolai Bonello improved his national record on the pole vault with a 4.45m jump, his second such accomplishment this month.

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