#145: Malta’s Taekwondo Team Shows Progress at Albanian Open

The Malta Taekwondo Association fielded eight athletes across the cadet, junior and senior divisions at the Albanian Open, held in Tirana from 2 to 4 October 2026. The three days of competition brought convincing opening victories, closely contested defeats and encouraging debuts as Malta’s athletes tested themselves against international opposition.

The delegation comprised Iron Taekwondo League’s cadets Eva Mifsud Calleja and Oliver Gatt; juniors Jean Schembri, Robin Zammit and Brayden Micallef, alongside Strive Taekwondo’s Luke Chircop; and ITL seniors Fergeson Galea and Czarek Odlanicki Poczobutt. Supporting the team were coaches Gianluca Barbara and Ditmir Vodinaj of ITL, together with Mauro Busuttil of Strive Taekwondo.

For Eva and Oliver, the opening day marked an important transition. Both were making their first appearance at a ranked competition after completing their time at B-class level. Eva faced Italy’s Miriam Scotto Di Marco, while Oliver met fellow Italian Marco Celiento. Both Maltese cadets narrowly lost their opening matches, delivering encouraging performances as they took this next step in their competitive development.

The junior competition produced two quarter-final appearances for Malta. Jean Schembri opened with a convincing victory against an Israeli opponent, winning 2–0 in rounds. His next match brought a demanding encounter with the category’s number-one seed, Italy’s Gianfilippo Bellino. Jean was defeated 0–2 by Bellino, who went on to win the category.

Luke Chircop also enjoyed a strong start, securing a convincing opening victory against Greece. He then faced Italy’s Tommaso Mazzocchi in the quarter-final, where an exciting contest brought his tournament campaign to an end. Luke’s opening win and subsequent performance provided encouraging signs for the Strive athlete.

Competing in the junior men’s under-59 kg division, Brayden Micallef and Robin Zammit faced opponents from Italy and Slovakia respectively. Both lost 0–2 in rounds, but the narrow margins within their contests reflected how closely they challenged their opponents. Their performances offered useful experience in matches where small differences proved decisive.

On the final day, Fergeson Galea delivered a particularly strong performance against Albania’s Gledis Buba. In a fiercely contested match, Fergeson pushed the home athlete closely before losing by an extremely narrow margin. Buba subsequently defeated a Brazilian opponent before exiting in the quarter-final against a European champion from Azerbaijan, adding context to the quality of Fergeson’s opening challenge.

In the senior men’s under-87 kg category, Czarek Odlanicki Poczobutt faced Croatia’s Josip Bilić Pavlinović for the second time. The Croatian’s achievements include the 2023 European under-21 title and bronze at the World University Games in Chengdu, making him a formidable opponent.

Although Czarek lost the opening match, he impressed by closing the gap compared with their previous encounter. His improved showing offered a clear indication of progress against an accomplished international fighter.

The Albanian Open gave Malta’s delegation valuable experience across three age groups. Eva and Oliver’s promising ranked debuts, Jean and Luke’s opening victories, and the closely fought performances elsewhere in the team provided concrete positives for the athletes and coaches to build on in training and future competition.