#61: ITL’s Michela Scerri Takes Part In Junior World Championships, Records Win Against Portugal

Malta recorded its second-ever participation in the Junior Taekwondo World Championships, and even bagged a win over a major country on the world stage.

The Maltese team comprised of one athlete, Michela Scerri (female, -42 kg), national coach Ditmir Vodinaj, and the MTA delegate - Anna Vassallo (President) and Joanna Scicluna (General Secretary).

Together, they attended the event, held in Chuncheon, South Korea, in the week of the 1st till the 6th October, 2024.

At the beautiful Songam Sports Town Air Dome, Michela faced off against Portugal in the opening match (R32) of the knockout event. And in what turned out to be a momentous occasion, she recorded a decisive 2:0 win.

Michela’s win was the first ever achieved on the world stage for a Maltese athlete.

Michela (red) facing off against Portugal (blue) at the JWC.

She would later face Uzbekistan’s number one player Valeriya Khegay in the round of 16. Fought over two rounds, both scores went against the Maltese, who lost the first round with a marginal score and the second, on gamgeoms (fouls).

Without a doubt, there are no easy fights on the world stage. But here, we are all proud of our team for bagging a win at the Junior World Championship. There has been a significant improvement since Malta’s last JWC appearance in 2018 (Hammamet, Tunisia).

With the grand event's conclusion, our attention turns to the next major MTA event, which will be held in a few days. Follow this space for more updates.

On behalf of the ITL, we would like to congratulate team Malta on its performance at the Junior World Championship. To Michela, Ditmir, and their respective teams for setting the bar once again.