Maltese Martial Artists Make Their Mark Abroad With Incredible Gold Medal Haul
Maltese martial artists of two different disciplines have made their mark abroad, returning home with a bag full of medals to show for it.
Taekwondo and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu athletes from two Maltese clubs, Santa Venera Taekwondo and Avant-Garde BJJ, won four gold medals, four silver medals and one bronze medal shared between 13 athletes in their respective competitions.
Maltese Taekwondo athletes continue making their mark
Athletes from Santa Venera Taekwondo competed at the 6th Asterisk Cup in Nis, Serbia – a tournament fielding 1,600 fighters from 16 countries.
Seven Maltese fighters took part in the competition and returned with two gold, two silver, and one bronze medal between them.
Marija Nikolic set the stadium alight, winning her respective set in the female heavyweight category with a score of 15-5. Another gold came from Dwayne Micallef, who won his group at six years of age. It was a first for both, who had never competed abroad before.
Athletes Emma Lautier and Ella Schembri each came home with silver after being eliminated in the final round of their set, whereas Alycia Cassar made it as far as the semi-final.
Two other fighters in the group – Michela Scerri and Robin Zammit – were eliminated early on in the finals despite two hard-fought losses.
The team was led by coach Sajad Habibi, who praised his athletes for having achieved the result despite a long absence of international competition due to COVID-19.
“It was wonderful to see them in action once again,” Habibi said. “It just means so much to see their hard labour bear fruit.”
“Even in times were opportunities to compete abroad were scarce, they kept up with their training and had their eyes on the horizon. Well done to them.”
Maltese BJJ fighters continue to dominate abroad, one championship after another
Athletes from Avant-Garde BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-jitsu) also fielded six of their own at the International Master’s tournament in Barcelona, Spain. And together they returned with two golds and two silver medals.
The Master’s tournament welcomed 1,000 athletes from various countries and was open to participants over the age of 30 years.
Of the six athletes competing in an international Masters tournament, Murman Korchilava and Selma Cassar struck gold in their respective -82kg and -58kg categories.
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Sean Chircop and Stephan Swain also fought on the day and grappled their way to the final round of their respective groups. They were unfortunately eliminated, but that did not stop them from widening the team’s medal haul. The sixth athlete – Margaret Richard – exited her set after a hard-fought loss.
The team was led by Thomas Vander Eecken, who also fought on the day. Thomas hailed his team’s performance. “It was a good performance and an even more pleasant experience.”
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