Two Maltese Judokas, Isaac Bezzina, and Katryna Esposito, have successfully made it as qualifiers for this year’s World Judo Championships.

Back in 2022, the International Judo Federation placed a limit on participation to the first 100 judokas in each category. Last year, none of the Maltese Judoka were anywhere close to participating. This year, not just one, but two Judoka qualified!

Isaac Bezzina, (under 100kg Judoka), earned his place way back in October when he won his medal in the Oceania Judo Open in Perth, which had the same points as a Grand Prix.

Another boost for Isaac was the recent medals he obtained in Tunis and Algeria African Opens. Isaac is currently in 72nd place on the ranking list.

Meanwhile, Katryna Esposito, (under 48kg Judoka) earned her place last weekend in Antalya, when she shot up 31 places after she made it to the 1/16 round.

She had already earned a good amount of points with her two bronze medals in Tunis and Algeria African Opens. She is currently in the 82nd place on the ranking list.

These two judokas will travel to Doha at the beginning of May, where they will represent Malta at the World Senior Championships, making it one of the last events before the team fights in Malta at the Games of the Small States of Europe in Malta.

The Malta Judo Federation expressed that it is very proud of the Judo Squad Members, under the leadership of Sensei Aurelian Fleisz, and all the volunteers and coaches who work with the team.

These results would not be possible without the support of the NDSF funds made available by the Government of Malta, and the support of the Maltese Olympic Committee.

Well done Isaac and Katryna!