Following her recognition as the Atlas Youth Athlete of the Month for October, weightlifter Tenishia Thornton has now earned the prestigious distinction of Atlas Youth Athlete of the Year Award for 2024.

This marks the third occasion Thornton has received this honour, having previously won the inaugural award in 2020 and again in 2023. Nineteen-year-old Thornton won this prestigious award following a combined decision from a panel of three sports journalists and a public online vote conducted over recent weeks. Runners-up are the Blackball duo Jake Castaldi and Dielyn Edwards, followed by the young sailor Katrina Micallef.

Crowned European Champion at the European Junior Championships in Warsaw, Poland, Thornton clinched the title at the back of a standout performance. She 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. She finally smashed the bar with a spectacular lift of 112 kilogrammes to secure her spot at the top and also set a new national record. Thornton’s total lift of 201 kilogrammes surpassed competitors from Spain and Romania, who completed lifts of 194 and 196 kilogrammes, respectively.

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

Meanwhile, Atlas Insurance has confirmed the renewal of its collaboration with the Malta Sports Journalists Association for another year in relation to the youth athlete awards initiative which is aimed at encouraging and 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 [email protected]. The rules and regulations of the award can be viewed on the website www.maltasportsjournalists.com.

Photo caption: From left: Stephen Azzopardi (MSJA), Lorraine Cunningham (MSJA), Tenishia Thornton, Matthew von Brockdorff (Atlas Insurance), Robert Micallef (Atlas Insurance).