A year since the death of Victor Calvagna, 126 fitness enthusiasts performed an intense workout in memory of the beloved doctor, raising €1,200 for Puttinu Cares, the children’s cancer support group.

Calvagna died at the age of 63 on January 4, 2022, one week after he was hit by a car while running in Qawra.

The death of the paediatric cancer specialist shocked the nation and caused an outpour of grief.

On Wednesday, Birkirkara gym CrossFit356 opened its doors to members and non-members for a workout in memory of Calvagna.

The workout consisted of three rounds of 100 burpees, 1,000m rowing and 3,000m bike. A burpee is an exercise which involves a press-up followed by a leap to a standing position.

Overall, a total of 38,800 burpees were performed, 381kms rowed and another 1,143kms cycled.

“One of our long-standing members, Paul Torpiano, approached us with the idea of holding a memorial workout in honour of Dr Victor Calvagna, a Maltese hero,” Kyle Micallef, one of the gym’s coaches said.

“Effectively without him, dozens, if not hundreds, of Maltese children who needed specific treatment would, at best, have had to spend years of their lives receiving treatment overseas.

A workout in memory of Victor Calvagna. Photo: Crossfit356

“Besides his stellar work in aiding people in need, he was an athlete himself, being a triathlete and a triple ironman.”

While planning the workout session, Micallef took on inspiration from Calvagna’s athletic achievements and programmed the workout to be long and cardio oriented.

Sessions began as early as 6am and a total of eight sessions of one hour each were hosted on the day, with some athletes even completing the challenge twice.