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maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 26 SEPTEMBER 2018 23 SPORTS WEIGHTLIFTING Answers to the MaltaToday crossword will be published next Wednesday WEATHER: Cloudy during the day and partly cloudy overnight VISIBILITY: Good WIND: East Northeast force 5 to 6 becoming force 6, occasionally force 6 to 7 SEA: Rough, becoming very rough at times SWELL Low East Northeast becoming moderate Easterly TODAY WINDY 28 º C /23 º C UV INDEX: 6 TOMORROW WINDY 25 º C /20 º C UV INDEX: 6 Weather Crossword Across 1. Foot-operated lever (5) 6. Side by side (7) 8. Highest mountain (7) 9. Mineral spring (3) 10. Cat (4) 12. Renown (4) 15. Cover (3) 16. Try (7) 18. Add sugar (7) 19. Eccentric (5) Down 1. Tropical fruit (10) 2. Gaming cubes (4) 3. Trademark (5) 4. Rasp (5) 5. Sickness (6) 7. Path of a projectile (10) 11. Abrupt (6) 13. Desires (5) 14. Rise to one's feet (5) 17. In the greatest number (4) Excellent result by Yazmin Zammit Stevens, Rodmar Pulis at World University Championships MALTA has competed for the first time at the Weightlifting World University Champion- ships this past weekend. Despite having lifters participate in the Universiade Games twice in the past, this was the first time the MWA has participated at the yearly championships organ- ised by FISU and the IWF. The event this year was held in Biala Podloska in Poland, and the Maltese national team were represented by two Uni- versity students. Rodmar Pulis, who graduated with a degree in Physical education competed in the -85kg category and Yazmin Zammit Stevens who graduated with a degree in Mathematics and Statistics competed in the -69kg category. The A group contained the eight lifters who posted the highest entry total kilograms prior to the meet, and Zammit Stevens was one of them. In the snatch part of the event, she made all three of her attempts at 79kg, 82kg and finally a new national record of 84kg. This lift put her ahead of all the B group lifters and 7th overall, with the gold place medal being won by a lifter from Japan who was suc- cessful with her lift of 90kg, fol- lowed by Czech Republic with 89kg and USA with 88kg. In the clean and jerk, evidently not only Yazmin's preferred lift but also her stronger one, she challenged the rest of the field for a higher-ranking place. Yazmin opened at 100kg which at that point would automatical- ly place her above all the B group athletes were the best lifter in that group finished with a 99kg lift and also the Spanish athlete in the A group who finished with 98kg. She then went on to 103kg, challenging a better rank- ing place with the athlete from Czech Republic who had just been successful with her second attempt at 102kg. Unfortunately, her last attempt at 106kg was not successful as she closely missed out on the jerk. She ended up placing 5th over- all in the clean and jerk, and her 187kg total put her in 6th place overall from 17 athletes. Rodmar Pulis, who has been praised for making a great come- back to the sport this year, was hoping to use this opportunity to participate in the World Univer- sity Championships to rebuild his performance confidence on the bigger international plat- form. Pulis, who competed as a -85kg lifter, had suffered an inju- ry to the shoulder while attempt- ing a 145kg clean and jerk back in 2016 at the European Cham- pionships in Forde a few months before he was set to take on the Olympic stage in Rio. At these Championships, he finished with a snatch attempt of 109kg, and asked for 145kg on his last clean and jerk at- tempt; the same weight that put him out of the game in 2016. However, this time round, he easily made the lift and went on to finish in 7th place overall, outlifting athletes from Greece and Canada.