Tenisihia Thornton competed at this year’s European Junior and U23 Weightlifting Championships in Durres, Albania.
The 17-year-old is still a youth athlete and was therefore competing against athletes who were up to three years older than her.
Thornton finished the snatch portion of her competition with 78kg on her first attempt, but unfortunately missed her second and third attempts at 80kg. Her 78kg snatch was good enough to rank her in fifth place overall in this division.
Thornton went on to open her clean and jerk with a successful 98kg attempt.
Hoping to land a medal in this competition, she attempted 101kg on her second attempt which she closely missed.
The Maltese lifter went on to attempt 102kg on her second attempt but was unfortunately unsuccessful and therefore missed out on a medal in clean and jerk. She finished in 5th place in both the clean and jerk and the overall standings of the 55kg category.
Thornton has enjoyed a successful 2022 so far, winning the gold medal at the World Youth Championships that were held in Mexico. She also competed in the Junior World Championships and now the Junior European Championships where she managed respectful results in both, despite being much younger than the rest of the field.
