Xandru Grech is a Maltese athlete, athletics coach, media personality and entrepreneur.

Personal life

''(Alexsander)'' Xandru Grech was born on October 11, 1974, to parents

Louis Grech Louis Grech (born 22 March 1947) is a Maltese politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of Malta, as well as Minister of European Affairs. He also served as Deputy Leader for Parliamentary Affairs of the Labour Party. He currently serves ...

and

Maria Grech Ganado Maria Grech Ganado (born 1943, in Lija), considered to be from Floriana, is a Maltese author and academic. Education Grech Ganado obtained her secondary education at St Joseph High School (Valletta) the Marija Regina Secondary School, in Hamrun ...

. Xandru attended St Edwards College, Malta and graduated from the

University of Malta The University of Malta (, UM, formerly UOM) is a higher education institution in Malta. It offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, postgraduate master's degrees and postgraduate doctorates. It is a member of the European University Association ...

with a degree in Communications. He is a qualified Power Plate instructor and

IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...

Level 4 Athletics Coach. He is also President of Malta Coaches Athletics Association.

Athletics career

He began his career in athletics at the very early age of 9 years to become one of Malta's most recognized middle distance runners registering National records in the 800m and 1500m at the Small Nations Games in 1995 held in

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

. In that same year he qualified for the

1995 World Championships in Athletics The 5th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Ullevi Stadium, Gothenburg, Sweden on 5–13 August 1995. This edition featured 1804 athletes from 191 nat ...

- Men's 1500m. He formed part of the Maltese team at the 1997 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Senior men's race held in Torino, Italy where he achieved his last recorded result on an international level. Grech continues to be actively involved in athletics through coaching, sport event organisation and philanthropic activity. In 2019 he was instrumental, as part of Malta's organizing team, to introduce the Superleague Triathlon to Malta. He continues his passion for fitness and sport through his ''Move'' Fitness Centers in Malta.

Media personality

Grech has hosted various TV Programmes and Ceremonies in Malta and is a regular guest on many TV and Radio Shows. He is actively involved in various philanthropic events and social awareness campaigns. In 2009 he featured in the tongue-in-cheek Maltese feature film, ''Maltageddon'' and a year later in ''Malta Force Cinema'' in 2010. He is brand ambassador for Iniala, the co-founders and organizers of the Malta Social Impact Awards and

Inspirasia Foundation Inspirasia Foundation is a non-profit organisation that funds and supports projects in health and education for marginalised communities and persons with disabilities. Origin In 2002, The Kuta Terrorist Bomb in Bali Indonesia claimed the life o ...

On 3 May 2020, he hosted Malta Together - A Festival of Gratitude and Inspiration, an online and TV music festival featuring leading Maltese singers and musicians with the aim of bringing the country together during the COVID-19 pandemic. He is an active member of Malta Together - a community platform founded by

created to help people in Malta live their lives better during the COVID-19 pandemic, by providing access to support, activities, entertainment, and useful services.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grech, Xandru Living people 1974 births Maltese television people Maltese male cross country runners Maltese male middle-distance runners World Athletics Championships athletes for Malta University of Malta alumni