Carla Scicluna: Malta’s Trailblazing Sprint Sensation
Born on January 27, 2001, in the picturesque town of Zejtun, Malta, Carla Scicluna has emerged as one of the island nation’s most accomplished track and field athletes. At just 25 years old, she has already represented Malta at the Olympic Games, broken multiple national records, and established herself as a formidable competitor on the European sprinting circuit. Her journey from a young athlete with Olympic dreams to becoming Malta’s premier female sprinter is a testament to her dedication, talent, and unwavering commitment to excellence.
Early Years and Athletic Beginnings
Growing up in Malta, a small Mediterranean island nation with a population under half a million, Carla found her calling on the track at a young age. She joined Pembroke Athleta, one of Malta’s premier athletics clubs, where she would develop the foundation of her sprinting prowess. The club, based at Pembroke Stadium, became her athletic home and has remained her representative club throughout her career.
Carla’s talent was evident from her youth competitions. In 2016, as a 15-year-old, she was selected to represent Malta at the European Kids Athletics Games in Brno, Czech Republic, marking one of her earliest international experiences. This early exposure to international competition proved invaluable in shaping her development as an elite athlete.
Youth Career and International Emergence
The 2017 season marked a significant milestone in Carla’s young career when she competed at the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) in Gyor, Hungary. At just 16 years old, she advanced to the semi-finals of the 200m event, showcasing her ability to compete against Europe’s best youth sprinters. The experience of reaching the semi-finals at such a prestigious youth competition demonstrated that Malta had a genuine sprinting talent on the rise.
That same year, Carla also represented Malta at the European Under-18 Championships, also held in Gyor. These competitions provided crucial experience competing at the highest levels of youth athletics and helped prepare her for the challenges that lay ahead in her senior career.
Transition to Senior Competition
As Carla transitioned into senior competition, her performances continued to impress. In 2020, she captured gold medals in both the 100m and 4x100m relay at the Malta National Championships, establishing herself as the country’s top female sprinter. These victories were particularly significant as they came during a challenging year when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted athletic competitions worldwide.
The 2021 season proved to be a breakthrough year for the young sprinter. In January 2021, she won the Malta Winter Championships in the 60m with a time of 7.67 seconds, securing her qualification for the European Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland. This performance demonstrated her ability to compete at the European level and opened the door to even greater opportunities.
Road to Tokyo: Olympic Qualification
In early 2021, Carla competed at the Championships of the Small States of Europe in San Marino, where she finished an agonizingly close fourth place in the 200m. The experience of competing at such a high level against athletes from similar-sized nations further honed her competitive edge.
In July 2021, Carla represented Malta at the Under-23 European Championships in Tallinn, Estonia, where she posted a personal best time. This strong performance helped build momentum toward her ultimate goal: representing Malta at the Olympic Games.
Carla’s Olympic qualification came through the Universality clause, a provision that allows National Olympic Committees whose top athletes have not achieved Olympic qualifying times to nominate athletes for participation. World Athletics approved her selection, and Carla became one of six athletes to join the Maltese delegation for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (held in 2021).
Tokyo 2020: Olympic Dream Realized
At the age of 20, Carla Scicluna achieved what many athletes only dream of: competing at the Olympic Games. As she prepared for Tokyo, she was balancing her athletic pursuits with her studies as a second-year medical student at the University of Malta, demonstrating remarkable dedication to both her academic and athletic careers.
On July 30, 2021, Carla made her Olympic debut in the women’s 100m preliminary round. In a field that included athletes from around the globe, she recorded a time of 12.11 seconds, finishing fourth in her heat behind competitors from Indonesia, Malawi, and Antigua and Barbuda. Her performance was enough to advance her to Round One proper, making her the only Maltese athlete to qualify past the preliminary rounds at the Tokyo Olympics.
In the first round heats, Carla competed in Heat Five, giving everything she had on sport’s biggest stage. While her Olympic journey ended in the first round, the experience of competing at the Games was invaluable. The fact that she improved upon her previous times and advanced through the preliminary round represented a significant achievement for both Carla and Maltese athletics.
Post-Olympic Success and National Records
Following her Olympic experience, Carla returned to competition with renewed vigor. In February 2022, she dominated the Malta Winter Championships 60m sprint with a time of 7.67 seconds, earning qualification to the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. Her consistent performances in the indoor season demonstrated her ability to maintain elite form across different competitive periods.
The 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham provided another opportunity for Carla to represent Malta on the international stage. Competing in the 100m qualifying heats, she recorded a time of 11.89 seconds in Heat 4. While she didn’t advance to the next round, she showed improvement from her national championship times and gained valuable experience at a major multi-sport event.
More significantly, Carla was part of a historic moment for Maltese athletics at the Commonwealth Games. She joined Claire Azzopardi, Janet Richard, and Charlotte Wingfield to form Malta’s 4x100m relay team. The quartet established a new national record with a time of 45.59 seconds, a mark that stood as testament to the growing strength of women’s sprinting in Malta.
Earlier in 2022, the same relay team had already been making history. Competing in Agropoli, Italy, the foursome broke the national record twice in one afternoon, first lowering it to 46.07 seconds and then improving to 45.80 seconds, obliterating the previous record of 46.24 seconds. These performances secured their qualification for the Mediterranean Games in Algeria.
Record-Breaking 2023 Season
The 2023 season saw Carla reach new heights in her individual events. On May 7, 2023, competing at Stadio Luigi Ridolfi in Florence, Italy, she was part of Malta’s 4x100m relay team that shattered the national record with a stunning time of 44.98 seconds. This performance represented a quantum leap forward for Maltese women’s sprinting and currently stands as the national record.
Less than a month later, on June 3, 2023, Carla produced what remains her finest individual performance to date. Running the 200m, she blazed to a time of 23.74 seconds, establishing a new Maltese national record in the event. This achievement marked her as not just a participant in international athletics, but as an athlete capable of setting benchmarks for future generations of Maltese sprinters.
Her performances earned her strong recognition on the European Athletics rankings, where she was placed 136th in the women’s 200m with a score of 1060 points, and 2010th in the overall women’s rankings.
In February 2023, Carla once again demonstrated her prowess in the indoor season. At the Malta Winter Championships, she won the 60m with an impressive time of 7.58 seconds, securing her spot at the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. Her consistent performances across indoor and outdoor seasons showcased her versatility as a sprinter.
Continued Excellence and Recent Performances
At the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul in 2023, Carla competed in the women’s 60m, finishing eighth in Heat 5. While not advancing to the later rounds, her participation demonstrated Malta’s continued presence in European athletics at the highest levels.
Throughout 2023 and into 2024, Carla continued to compete domestically and internationally, maintaining her status as Malta’s premier female sprinter. Her personal bests across her primary events stand as impressive markers of her capabilities: 11.70 seconds in the 100m (set on July 7, 2022), 23.74 seconds in the 200m (her national record from June 3, 2023), and 7.67 seconds in the 60m (set on January 23, 2021).
As a six-time national champion across various events and distances, Carla has proven her dominance in Maltese athletics. Her achievements have helped raise the profile of women’s sprinting in Malta and inspired a new generation of young athletes to pursue excellence in track and field.
Balancing Athletics and Medicine
One of the most remarkable aspects of Carla’s story is her commitment to pursuing a medical degree at the University of Malta while maintaining her elite athletic career. The rigorous demands of medical school, combined with the training regimen required to compete at the international level, speak to her exceptional time management skills and dedication.
Studying medicine at one of Europe’s oldest universities, founded in 1592, Carla represents a new generation of student-athletes who refuse to choose between academic excellence and athletic achievement. Her ability to balance these competing demands while representing her country on the world stage makes her an inspiration not just to young athletes, but to students everywhere who dream of excelling in multiple fields.
Impact on Maltese Athletics
Carla’s success has had a profound impact on athletics in Malta. As one of the island nation’s most prominent Olympians and record holders, she has helped demonstrate that athletes from small nations can compete on the world stage. Her performances have brought increased attention to track and field in Malta and have shown that with dedication and proper support, Maltese athletes can achieve remarkable things.
Her association with Pembroke Athleta has also highlighted the importance of strong club structures in developing elite athletes. The club’s success in producing national champions and record holders across multiple events demonstrates the value of grassroots athletic programs in small nations.
International Recognition and Social Media Presence
Carla maintains an active presence on social media, where she connects with fans and supporters through her Instagram account @carla.scicluna. With over 9,300 followers, she shares glimpses of her training, competitions, and life as a student-athlete, inspiring young Maltese athletes and connecting with the broader international athletics community.
Her profile on World Athletics, the sport’s global governing body, lists her as one of Malta’s premier track and field athletes. She holds the Athlete Code 14803344, which tracks her performances and progression throughout her career.
Looking to the Future
As Carla continues her athletic career, she remains focused on improving her performances and representing Malta with distinction at international competitions. With national records in both the 200m and 4x100m relay, she has already secured her place in the history of Maltese athletics. However, her competitive drive and dedication suggest that she has not yet reached her peak.
The combination of her youth (she turned 25 in January 2026), her consistent improvement trajectory, and her dedication to training suggests that more records may fall in the coming years. As she progresses through her medical studies and continues to develop as an athlete, Carla Scicluna stands as a role model for aspiring athletes throughout Malta and beyond.
Legacy and Inspiration
Carla Scicluna’s journey from a young sprinter in Zejtun to Olympic athlete and national record holder represents more than just athletic achievement. Her story embodies the potential of dedication, hard work, and the pursuit of excellence regardless of the size of one’s nation or the resources available. In a sport often dominated by athletes from larger countries with more extensive support systems, Carla has proven that passion and commitment can overcome geographical and resource limitations.
For Malta, a nation of fewer than 500,000 people, Carla’s achievements carry special significance. She has shown that Maltese athletes can compete at the highest levels of international sport, from the Olympic Games to European Championships. Her national records stand as benchmarks that will inspire future generations to push beyond previous limitations and dream bigger.
As both a medical student and an elite athlete, Carla demonstrates that young people need not choose between academic and athletic pursuits. Her success in balancing these demanding paths shows that with proper time management, dedication, and support, it is possible to excel in multiple areas simultaneously.
Whether she’s breaking national records on the track or studying to become a physician, Carla Scicluna continues to make Malta proud. Her achievements have already secured her place among the nation’s greatest athletes, and her story continues to unfold with each competition, each race, and each step forward in both her athletic and academic careers. For a small island nation in the Mediterranean, Carla Scicluna represents the very best of what can be achieved through talent, determination, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.
