Maltese Man Wins Gold At European Jiu-Jitsu Championship
47-year-old Maltese athlete Keith Galea won the gold medal of the 73.5-kilogram Master 4 category at the 2024 European Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship in Rome yesterday.
“After finishing third last year I realised that I needed a change to my approach for this competition if I ever stood a chance to win it,” Galea told Lovin Malta, explaining what it took to make him a gold medalist.
“I shopped around some of the best schools in Europe for inspiration and motivation, mainly London, Amsterdam and Italy.”
Finally, his mental and physical coach Denis Braidotti got him in touch with 10-time European champion Ivan Tomasetti.
“He designed a personalised game plan for me and from there on out it was a matter of putting in the hours and the daily grind with my training partner Mark.”
He also tapped into some of the jiu-jitsu schools in Malta to widen his sparring options,
“The formula and team were the reason behind this success: a great mental and physical coach who always put a hand on my shoulder and said the right things, a great technical coach, and a phenomenal training partner. The rest was up to me to make this formula work. Hard work, dedication and commitment. And today I am the first Maltese to do it.”
In a proud Facebook post, Galea listed several people thanking them for their physical and emotional support that helped him achieve this impressive feat, saying “I thank you all, this is also yours”.
Well done, Keith!
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