#9: Malta National Open 2022
When the Malta Taekwondo Association (MTA) issues a call to local clubs, the ITL answers. 20 Athletes were fielded by the club to take part in the competition. This number meant that 68% of all Maltese competitors were registered with the ITL.
The shortage of numbers meant the inevitable pairing of ITL athletes against members of the same club. To minimize this consequence, the MTA fielded international athletes from Hanok Taekwondo Paris (France), Idablokk Taekwondo (Estonia), the Libyan National Team, and Taekwondo Puglia (Italy).
The one-day tournament was also extended to a four-day training camp at the Martim Hotel (Mellieha). This afforded all Maltese athletes a chance to mix it up with some new players, under the guidance of Coach Rida Salam (Hanok Taekwondo Paris).
Competing and participating in the event was:
Kieran Vella
Dwayne Micallef*
Ella Schembri*
Sam Iles
Dalien Barbara*
Zach Zammit
Emma Law Lautier
Firyaad Abdela
Merobika Abdela
Jean Schembri
Robin Zammit
Brayden Micallef
Ella Trushi*
Michela Scerri*
Alycia Cassar (no opponent)
Irzel Caku
Saydou Diao*
Cleaven Aquilina*
Riad Shimaj
Matt Xiong (no opponent)
The ITL once again hauled the highest tally of Gold Medals, with a total of 7 first-placed podium finishes. Dwayne Micallef, Ella Schembri, Dalien Barbara, Ella Trushi, Michela Scerri, Saydou Diao, and Cleaven Aquilina were the seven.
A few athletes also had the chance to test their skills against athletes from another club (or country):
Ella Schembri placed first in her respective set after defeating two opponents in a mixed category consisting of one ITL player and one SMTA player.
Firyaad Abdela debuted in his first-ever competition following the start of his Taekwondo journey last summer. A great opportunity came his way in the form of one Dragon Academy athlete who was no stranger to competition. Firyaad rose to the challenge and fought well, but the experience of his opponent led him to a 2:0 win.
Merobika Abdela also made her debut after starting the sport with her brother, Firyaad. She had no opponent in her category and had to be paired with a black belt athlete from Birzebbuga Taekwondo Club of the same age, albeit a few years older. The fight took place in the absence of headshots, owing to the fact that Merobika does not fall in the category of ‘Cadet’. Merobika lost her first round on points but still managed to snag a win in the second round after defeating her opponent on Gamgeoms. A score of 1:1 led to a final round where Merobika’s opponent managed to get the better of her, finishing the round with more points accrued.
A great opportunity came Jean Schembri’s way after he met Libyan National Ziyd Altawarghi on the mat. The fight saw both fighters display a wide range of high-level techniques, with several headshots along the way. The two fought hard in one of the most spectacular matches of the day. Though in the end, the score went Altawarghi’s day with a 2:0 match win.
Robin Zammit sustained a 2:0 loss with a Dragon Academy athlete in the opening bout of a 4-man category. Fighting up a weight class, Robin took the challenge nevertheless.
In the same category, Brayden Micallef faced a BTC athlete in a head-turning match that saw the two fighters hack away at each other for three straight rounds. A last-second shot in the third round saw Brayden lose out at 2:1.
Ella Trushi faced bagged a 2:1 win against a Dragon Academy athlete. Her impressive display saw her net a 15-3 score in the final round after the two were even for the first two rounds.
Michela Scerri defeated her BTC opponent with a 2:0 scoreline after ending both rounds on point gap.
Saydou Diao lost with a 2:0 scoreline against French athlete Salif Diallo after amassing five gamgeoms in each round.
The end of the National Open meant the beginning of the Malta Taekwondo Association training camp conducted by French Coach Rida Salam. The man is known to have taken charge of the French National Team’s physical preparation.
The 3-day camp was a great opportunity for local athletes to mix it up with all foreign athletes who had previously partaken in the national competition. It was also one of many camps delivered by Coach Rida, the next of which was held in Trappes, France just before New Year’s Day (New Year’s Day Camp).
In attendance at the training camp were athletes from four three of the four local clubs, with ITL fielding the largest contingent.
