MAAA Joe Bajada memorial races

In memory of its former president Joe Bajada, the Malta Amateur Athletics Association (MAAA) recently organised a select meeting, which included the national relay championships, to mark World Athletics Day.

These last events were quite popularly contested, even though some clubs and schools were more conspicuous by their absence, perhaps due to the academic examinations at this time of year.

It may well be that the relays are just the thing to re-kindle that enthusiasm, which, from time to time, seems to dwindle in each sport.

Starmax Athletic Club, in the female events, and Savio College, for boys, held sway over all opposition except in the 4 x100m for men which was won by Pembroke Athleta Kyocera in a modest 43.50.

Starmax recorded the only national record of the day when their girls' youth team of Gabriella Grech, Martina Xuereb, Diane Borg and Maxine Gauci beat the old record held by Pembroke in a new time of 50.82. The club went on to win the rest of the female relay events with their main protagonist being Xuereb, present in three selections.

Pembroke made amends in the individual events where Darren Gilford recorded 10.66 in the 100m sprint and Jeandre Mallia recording 11.02 in the junior category, albeit in a tailwind over the legal limit.

Charlene Attard, however, recorded a seasonal best of 12.33 over the same distance, this time in legal 1.1 metres per seconds. In the 200m she again posted a good time, breasting the imaginary tape on 25.63 with the wind speed being over the limit.

Elsewhere, Rachid Chouhal recorded a seasonal best of 7.36m in the long jump and Mark Herrera won the 1,500m in 4:05.17.

In the 200m and 800m races for men, Ivan Borg and George Vella respectively came up trumps for Allcomers Aloysians while young Luke Cassar, in the same colours, won the 800m for juniors.

Lisa Marie Bezzina in the 800m open recorded a personal best of 4:46 with Joelle Cortis (Pembroke), winning the race in the junior category. In the field, De La Salle College junior Edwin Zammit threw the 700g javelin a distance of 48.87 metres.

This weekend the Matthew Micallef St John Athletic Track will host the Veteran Track and Field Championships and another aggregate meeting in the San Michel series.

That for the Open and Junior category will be held with the Veterans' today, the first event scheduled for a 2 p.m. start. The events for the lower categories are to be held tomorrow with the first event, the hurdles, to commence at 9 a.m.