Ella Borg Degiorgio (Athletics) and Kai Azzopardi (Triathlon) are the winners of the Atlas Youth Athlete of the Month Award for July 2026.

Ella Borg Degiorgio enjoyed another outstanding month in athletics, ending the season in record-breaking fashion in the pole vault. The talented young athlete produced another national-record performance, setting new benchmarks in both the Under-16 and Under-18 categories.

Her continued progress throughout the season has established Borg Degiorgio as one of Malta’s most promising young athletes, with her performances highlighting the rapid development of her pole-vaulting career.

Meanwhile, triathlete Kai Azzopardi made Maltese sporting history as the first Maltese Elite triathlete to step onto the podium at a World Triathlon Development Regional Cup.

Azzopardi achieved the historic result at the 2026 World Triathlon Development Regional Cup in Vlasina Lake, Serbia, on 26 July, where he claimed the bronze medal in the Elite Men’s race.

The Maltese athlete produced an outstanding performance against a strong international field, finishing third in a time of 56:38. He remained in the leading group throughout the race and held on to secure a landmark podium finish for Maltese triathlon. World Triathlon confirmed that Azzopardi’s bronze was his first international medal of the 2026 campaign.

The achievement represents a significant milestone for Azzopardi and Maltese triathlon, following his earlier Development Regional Cup performances in Mamaia, Romania, and Gallipoli, Türkiye, where he finished 15th and eighth respectively.

The Atlas Youth Athlete of the Month Award for July will be presented to the winners by Robert Micallef, Chief Commercial Officer of Atlas Insurance. The Malta Sports Journalists Association will be represented by Vice-President Paul Cachia.

This award is 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 during the month under review and at the same time invites local sports 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.