Target shooter Eleonor Bezzina and Karl Izzo, the Malta waterpolo national team coach, are in line to retain their honours in the 2020 SportMalta Awards Għażliet Sportivi Nazzjonali after the list of finalists for this year’s gala ceremony were announced on Saturday.

The 2020 finalists were chosen following a vote by members of the Għaqda Ġurnalisti Sport and will now proceed to the gala night which will be held on February 22 at Hilton Malta.

Bezzina a gold medallist for Malta in the 2019 GSSE in Montenegro in the 10m Air Pistol event, has again been shortlisted for the Sportswoman of the Year Award which she won 12 months ago.

The other finalists in this category are middle distance runner Lisa Marie Bezzina, weightlifter Yazmin Zammit Stevens, tenpin bowler Sue Abela and swimmer Mya Azzopardi.

Among the high-profile athletes to fail to make into the final are triathlete Hannah Cutajar, winner of a gold medal in her age group in the European Sprint Triathlon held in Kazan, tenpin bowler Sarah Xuereb, who managed to secure a gold medal and three bronze medals in the Mediterranean Championships, and Colette Sultana, who won the professional event in the Arufa Games and also reached the final of a Women Professional event last year.

Izzo, who led the senior waterpolo national team and the U-17 selection to the European Championship finals, is also a finalist in the Coach of the Year award alongside Edward Caruana Dingli (paralympic sport), Jesmond Caruana (weightlifting), Gabriel Dobre (futsal), and Noel Mercieca (kickboxing).

The Sportsman of the Year Award will have a new winner this year as shooter Brian Galea was not nominated for the 2020 event.

The five finalists who picked up the highest number of votes are Keith Azzopardi (kickboxing), Gianluca Chetcuti (shooting), Rodney Gatt (horse racing), Jordan Gusman (athletics), Scott Muscat (pool).

In this category it is somewhat surprising the omission of trap shooter William Chetcuti, a silver medallist at the Montenegro GSSE, and tenpin bowler Mauro Anastas, winner of three silver medals at the Mediterranean Championships.

The biggest surprise of this year’s list of finalists are the Malta U-17 waterpolo national team who failed to make the cut in the Team of the Year category.

Last year, Izzo’s boys achieved the country’s most prestigious result in a continental final when placing 12th at the European Championship finals.

The men’s senior waterpolo national team did make it to the final along with snooker duo Tony Drago and Duncan Bezzina, sailing team Elusive II, Mr Whippy Dragracing Team, Luxol Futsal and the bowling national team.

In the official of the year category, the local journalists chose Julian Bajada (paralympics), Terry Camilleri (snooker), Joe Caruana Curran (waterpolo), Bernard Vassallo (basketball) and John Zammit (cycling) as the five finalists.

Squash player, Kijan Sultana, last year’s winner in the Young Sportsman of the Year Award, was surprisingly not voted for the final despite winning several high-profile tournaments in the junior category.

Thus this year award will be contested by Kayden Lagana (tenpin bowling), Jake Muscat (waterpolo), Nico Sciberras (shooting), Richard Schulteis (sailing) and Jeremy Zammit (athletics).

In the Young Sporswoman of the Year Award, the five athletes to make the final were Mya Azzopardi (swimming), Sarah Chouhal (athletics), Francesca Curmi (tennis), Helene Pellicano (tennis) and Tenishia Thornton (weightlifting).

The winners of all seven categories will be decided following a vote by a panel of journalists on the night.

On the other hand, the People’s Choice Award will be decided by the Maltese public, journalists and sporting associations.

Here, the five finalists are Claire Azzopardi (athletics), Antonio Flores (paralympics), Rodney Gatt (horse racing), Tenishia Thornton (Weightlifting), Jake Vella (triathlon).

The finalists

Sportsman of the Year award: K. Azzopardi (kickboxing), G. Chetcuti (shooting), R. Gatt (horse racing), J. Gusman (athletics), S. Muscat (pool).

Sportswoman of the Year: S. Abela (bowling), M. Azzopardi (swimming), E. Bezzina (target shooting), L.M. Bezzina (athletics), Y. Zammit Stevens (weightlifting).

Official of the Year: J. Bajada (paralympics), T. Camilleri (snooker), J. Caruana Curran (waterpolo), B. Vassallo (basketball), J. Zammit (cycling).

Coach of the Year: J. Caruana (weightlifting), E. Caruana Dingli (paralympics), G. Dobre (futsal), K. Izzo (waterpolo), N. Mercieca (kickboxing).

Young sportsman of the Year: K. Lagana (bowling), J. Muscat (waterpolo), N. Sciberras (shooting), R. Schulteis (sailing), J. Zammit (athletics).

Young sportswoman of the Year: M. Azzopardi (swimming), S. Chouhal (athletics), F. Curmi (tennis), H. Pellicano (tennis), T. Thornton (weightlifting).

Team of the Year: Luxol (futsal), Elusive 2 (sailing), Mr Whippy Racing Team (dragracing), Tony Drago/D. Bezzina (snooker), S. Abela, S. Xuereb (bowling), waterpolo national team.

People’s Choice Award: Claire Azzopardi (athletics); A. Flores (paralympics), R. Gatt (horse racing), T. Thornton (weightlifting), J. Vella (triathlon).

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