National Lottery plc and the Malta Sports Journalists Association (MSJA) are pleased to announce that Duncan Micallef won the fourth IZIBET Elite Athlete Award for 2024, covering the months of July and August.

On Friday 9th August, the Maltese Drag Racer Duncan Micallef was again confirmed as the fastest driver in Europe during the third round of the FIA Top Fuel Drag Racing Class in Tierp, Sweden. Micallef shattered his record and set a new European Record of an astounding 3.79 seconds, and the impressive European Speed Record of 321.4 MPH. Duncan Micallef led the Championship till the last race where he ended in second place only four points behind the Swiss driver Jndia Erbacher.

Franco de Gabriele, Chief Commercial Officer of IZI Group commented that the performances of Duncan Micallef are nothing short of extraordinary. “Supporting an athlete that continues to rewrite the history books in the FIA Top Duel Drag Racing Class is a privilege for us, and we are very excited to be associated with athletes like Duncan that is setting records internationally, such as the new European record that he has set in Tierp, Sweden. We wish Duncan all the success in his future endeavours.”

Clinton Buhagiar, President of the Malta Sports Journalists Association said: “Motorsport and in particular Duncan Micallef improved throughout the years and even broke records at an international level. No wonder that all the sacrifices done by Micallef led him to such a great success, and we as the Malta Sports Journalists Association are recognising him with this award.”

The IZIBET Elite Athlete Award recognises exceptional performances by local athletes and is awarded every two months.

A selection board composed of sports journalists and sports observers is responsible for evaluating the athlete’s achievements during the designated review periods, ensuring a fair and thorough assessment process.

In the meantime, the official website of the Malta Sports Journalists Association https://www.maltasportsjournalists.com/ provides the rules and regulations governing the award.

Photo caption: (From left) Lorraine Cunningham (General Secretary of the Malta Sports Journalists Association), Duncan MIccalef, James Morgan (Brand Manager of IZI Group plc), Stephen Azzopardi (Administrator of the Malta Sports Journalists Association) and Oliver Attard (Vice General Secretary of the Malta Motorsport Federation).