Maltese athletes compete in European Off-Road Championship

Team Malta delivered a series of encouraging performances at the European Athletics Off-Road Championships in Kamnik, Slovenia, competing against some of Europe’s strongest mountain and trail-running nations.

The first day of competition featured the Vertical race over 8.9km in extremely challenging weather, with heavy rain adding to the course’s difficulty.

Tommy Wallbank finished in 69th place, ahead of athletes from nations including the Netherlands, Ireland, Croatia, and Romania.

Tara Abdilla and Giselle Camilleri also registered solid performances, finishing in 59th and 62nd place, respectively.

One of the standout performances for Team Malta came from 15-year-old Iris Merle Camilleri in the Under-20 category.

Competing in a demanding 4km uphill race featuring a 420m elevation gain, Camilleri placed 26th overall, finishing ahead of athletes from leading mountain running nations, including the United Kingdom, Spain, and Slovenia.

On the second day, Team Malta competed in the 54km trail race, marking the country’s first participation as a full three-member team in the discipline at these championships.

Ryan Farrugia finished in 81st place, followed closely by Issac Attard in 82nd, while Aidan Tanti also produced a solid performance in a highly competitive elite field.

Youngster Iris Merle Camilleri also doubled up in the Up and Down race, covering 5.9km with a +360m/-360m elevation profile, securing another strong result in 38th place and once again finishing ahead of athletes from several top European nations, including Italy.

The Maltese contingent was accompanied by Ivan Rozhnov, the head of the delegation, and team leader Gerald Grech.