#134: Malta’s Young Taekwondo Athletes With Significant Medal Haul In Serbia

A demanding weekend of back-to-back international competition in Serbia tested the resilience, character, and unity of a Maltese Taekwondo team that returned home not only with medals, but with experiences that will shape them long beyond the sport itself.

Competing at both the prestigious Asteriks E3 tournament and the Asteriks Cup, the Maltese contingent travelled with eight athletes — six juniors and two seniors, together with coach Gianluca Barbara — facing two consecutive days of elite international competition against some of Europe’s strongest opposition.

The final results reflected the team’s quality and determination:

Asterisk E3:
🥈 Silver
🥉 Bronze
🥉 Bronze

Asteriks Cup:
🥇 Gold
🥈 Silver
🥉 Bronze
🥉 Bronze

Yet beyond the podium finishes, the weekend became a powerful demonstration of perseverance, growth, and togetherness.

The E3 competition began under difficult circumstances, with athletes reporting for random weigh-ins at 08:00 before enduring lengthy delays caused by technical issues. The long wait demanded immense patience and focus from young athletes preparing to perform at international level.

In the junior divisions, Brayden and Robin faced particularly difficult draws, both exiting in the Round of 16 against highly experienced continental-level opponents.

Matteo, competing in the same category, secured an impressive opening victory before narrowly missing out on a medal in the quarter-finals.

Malta’s junior athletes, however, continued to impress throughout the day.

Jean produced an excellent quarter-final victory over Montenegro, while Michela overcame Greece to book her place in the semi-finals.

Both athletes then faced extremely demanding contests against Serbia and Israel respectively, with each match remaining undecided until the final exchanges. Despite narrow defeats, both earned well-deserved bronze medals following performances that highlighted their growth and composure under pressure.

One of the standout performances of the tournament came from Alycia, whose campaign included victories over Serbia in both the quarter-final and semi-final stages. Her semi-final victory featured a spectacular step-spin technique that electrified the arena and secured her place in the final against Bulgaria.

Unfortunately, what appeared to be a promising gold medal opportunity was interrupted by injury, forcing her withdrawal during the second round of the final. Alycia nevertheless secured silver, though the emotional weight of the moment was evident across the entire team.

What followed afterwards perhaps revealed more about the group than any medal tally could.

After only a handful of hours of sleep, the squad returned the following morning for the Asteriks Cup.

The second day brought further strong performances and difficult lessons alike.

Ferdie competed courageously despite carrying an injury, while Michela and Czarek both narrowly lost difficult contests against Greek opposition. Czarek later entered a second category, advancing to the +87kg final before defeating Romania in the final.

Jean continued his impressive weekend by battling his way to silver after narrowly losing a closely contested final against Turkey.

In the junior -55kg division, Malta made a major impact through Brayden, Matteo, and Robin. Robin secured an excellent victory over Bulgaria before narrowly losing to Hungary in the quarter-finals.

Meanwhile, Matteo defeated Serbia and Greece in consecutive matches, while Brayden progressed through Bulgaria and Greece on the opposite side of the draw. The two Maltese athletes eventually met in the semi-final, guaranteeing Malta a place in the final.

Brayden ultimately advanced and completed an outstanding run by defeating Hungary in the gold medal match.

For the coaching staff, however, the weekend’s greatest success extended beyond results alone.

International sport often teaches difficult lessons: hard work is not always immediately rewarded, injuries can alter outcomes within seconds, and growth frequently emerges through disappointment as much as victory.

But throughout two physically and emotionally demanding days, the Maltese athletes demonstrated resilience, maturity, and an unwavering sense of togetherness.

And in many ways, that may prove to be the most valuable achievement of all.

The Iron Taekwondo League - together with the Malta Taekwondo Association - thanks the Maltese Olympic Committee and SportMalta for making this venture possible.