#32: ITL Athletes Claim 2 Silvers In Albanian G1

Jean Schembri and Michela Scerri - two ITL athletes - return from the Albanian G1 with silver medals.

The tournament (G1) was held in Tirana, Albania on the 29th and 30th of September 2023. ITL attended with a team of five athletes and two coaches.

Alycia Cassar fought first on the day, against Czech athlete Anna Spinarova (QF).

It was a hard draw for the Maltese, who lost with a score of 2:0. Spinarova then went past the semi-final with another score of 2:0 and lost 2:1 against the first-ranked Italian athlete Clio Sottile.

Michela Scerri took the mat next; against Israeli athlete Liron Blecher (SF). With a convincing round score of 2:0, Michela won and proceeded to the final.

She then fought against the first-ranked Deya Peeva (BUL), whose height and experience were an obstacle. Nevertheless, Michela defended her position well and conceded minimal points. Over a hard-fought final match, the Bulgarian athlete won with marginal scores and claimed gold. Michela walked away with another silver medal.

It was another podium finish for the Maltese, who medalled in Turkey, Serbia, Albania, and Belgium this year alone.

Cadet Jean Schembri kicked off a final-round encounter with Fiamme D’Oro athlete Francesco Giammarco (ITA), who advanced to the final after winning 2:0 against another Italian athlete.

After losing the first round, Jean quickly turned the game around and won against the experienced Italian to leave the round score at 1:1.

The two then kicked off the third round, ending with a score of 8-8, with Jean equalizing in the dying seconds. Both athletes registered the same points (a headshot, two body shots, and a gamgeom), so the PSS declared a winner based on registered hits. Giammarco registered just one more than the Maltese.

A heart-breaking outcome, yet an unquestionably tough display from Jean, who earned the team’s second silver.

Robin Zammit fought against Italian opponent Antonio Cirivello.

Cirivello was a tough nut to crack for the Maltese team and player. He won with a round score of 2:0 despite Robin’s controlled performance and a near-turnaround of the game in the second round.

Fighting last on the day was newcomer Fergeson Galea, who fought in the Junior -55 kg category. Fergeson started off in the round of eight, meeting Feyyas Gumus, the German athlete who attended a Maltese training camp led by renowned coach Carlos Esteves (GER). Gumus is a European champion with 21 medals to his name.

Galea, who has trained taekwondo for just eight months, lost the round 2:0 but stood his ground against one of the best in the game, scoring with a variety of techniques.

ITL’s Albanian tour did not start and finish with the G1 competition. The team traveled to Shkodra and trained with Vllaznia Taekwondo. The same club that ITL coach Ditmir Vodinaj played for throughout his competitive tenure.

With pleasure and pride, ITL’s Gianluca Barbara led the training after a most-welcome invitation from the Vllaznia head coach: Master Elion Puka.

Gianluca shared a few words following the event:

“What a great thing it is, to have such fine young men and women place their trust in you, to train with you and fight for you.”

“And how rewarding is it, when you see them slowly creep towards their full potential? To see their dreams made real with you as the catalyst,” he added.

The ITL story continues, with European championships in Belgrade now in the crosshairs.