#12: Maltese Athlete Places Second In Serbian G1

Hard work paid off for one Maltese athlete who returned from the Galeb Belgrade Open (Serbia) with a silver medal.

Nathan Degiorgio (Dragon Academy) competed in the Cadets A -160 cm along with 11 international players from Serbia, Germany, Cyprus and Bulgaria. In his quarter-final round, he faced Matia Pavlovic, winning comfortably with a round score of 2:0. It was a dominant performance for the Maltese who secured a second-round win before time.

Nathan then faced Bulgarian athlete Georgi Georgiev and won again with a round score of 2:0. His convincing display sent him to the final round, where he faced Cypriot Ioannis-Angelos Pastellidis.

Pastellidis’ experience got the better of the Maltese athlete in the first round. But Nathan recovered quickly in the second, managing a lead for two-thirds of the round. Hard pressing play from the Cypriot in the final third flipped the score. Nathan lost with a round score of 0:2 but it was a stupendous display from the Maltese.

Luke Chircop, also of the same club, fought on the day. This time in the -168 cm category among 11 other players from Serbia, Bosnia, Hungary, Italy, Croatia, Greece and Bulgaria. Luke met a tough opponent in his quarter-final round in the form of Denislav Dobrinov (BUL).

It was an intense, exciting exchange. But despite a hard-fought effort from the Maltese, it was Dobrinov who won the match and advanced to the semi-final.

Coach Mauro Busuttil, who leads the team, shared a few words via social media and acknowledged the hard work of both athletes. Both of whom have been working very hard this year.

“Tonight both athletes made us proud,” he said. “Nathan won up to the finals in a G-level competition earning a [silver medal].”

“Luke never gave up and kept fighting till the end of his bout.”

This is the third graded competition for the club in which these two athletes participated, along with two other training camps. One in Greece and Sicily.

“It is a team effort, so thanks is in order for everyone: the athletes themselves for turning up no matter what, the rest of the club's athletes for being there for them, for athletes from other clubs, both Iron Taekwondo League and Birzebbuga Taekwondo Club for being amazing sparring partners and growing together on the court and camps, for Malta Taekwondo Association for providing a platform where experiences are made through events and meeting foreign coaches, and mostly thanks for the parents for supporting their kids.”

Well done and forza Malta!

The drawsheets/results of the competition can be accessed by clicking here.