#5: Maltese Athletes Medal In Serbia, Including One E1 Bronze

11 Maltese athletes attended the 7th Asteriks Cup in Serbia and returned with no less than five medals, including a Bronze Medal at E1 level.

Included in the team were MTA athletes Michela Scerri and Alycia Cassar - who both train with Iron Taekwondo League. Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation athlete Mamadou Balde also competed in the event.

The tournament was held in Niš on the 20th - 21st May 2023. It welcomed over 1,500 participants from Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Spain, Italy, Moldova, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Netherlands, Ukraine, Hungary, and of course… Malta.

With over 250 clubs registered, it became one of the biggest tournaments in Europe. So much so, it earned a European ranking (E1) status. Therefore, a second tournament was held in the same competition.

Michela drew a tough opponent in the shape of Poppy Kingsley (GBR), an experienced opponent with world championship experience and over seven international (ranked) medals to her name - including a gold at the Swedish Open.

Despite the difficulty, Michela fought with nothing held back, winning 2:0. All praise to the ITL athlete, who kept her focus throughout the duration of the match, protecting her lead over two rounds very carefully.

Michela then progressed to the semi-final where she met Galeb athlete Katarina Petkovic (SRB). The two shared a similar style and played defensively over the course of the match.

An early lead in the first round gave Petkovic the upper hand. Michela then scored and led for most of the second round, but Petkovic was able to connect with a headshot in the final stage to turn the tables. She defended her points zealously for the remainder of the match. Michela lost the semi-final with a round-score of 0:2, but walked away with a bronze medal.

Alycia confronted Dutch athlete Nielle Vroegh, an athlete who medaled in no less than 15 ranked competitions with a win ratio of 68%. Vroegh achieved gold in all ranked competitions this year, including the Austrian, Belgian, Dutch Opens, and the WT President’s Cup in Turkey (where she had faced Alycia as well).

The toughness of the draw was evident from the get-go but Alycia held her ground and fought well, especially in the first round where the score remained relatively close. However, Vroegh got the better of the Maltese athlete.

The second round saw Aly play harder, and even place a few shots that gave her the lead. Vroegh, however, caught up. She leveled with an attack of her own and took the lead. With little time to spare in the second round, Aly had to chase after her but to no avail, the Dutch athlete ended the game with a round score of 0:2.

Mamadou returned to the competition floor after a long trip back home to see his family.

He competed in the tournament thanks to the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) project, signed last November in Paris.

The agreement between MTA President Anna Vassallo and WT President Chung-won Choue paved the way for two refugee athletes (Mamadou and Saydou Diao) to be able to achieve their dreams by competing abroad.

Mamadou hit a hard draw after having encountered experienced Serbian athlete Dimitrije Ajdukovic in the semi-final.

Despite a hard-fought display featuring many of Mamadou’s signature techniques, Ajdukovic bagged a 2:0 win. Result aside, the competition marked a good starting point as the Guinean-born athlete now looks to raise the tempo, in preparation for his next tournament.

His efforts earned him a bronze in this competition.

Several other athletes from ITL competed in the tournament. Jean Schembri, Robin Zammit, Fergeson Galea, Emma Lautier, Dwayne Micallef, Brayden Micallef, Ella Schembri, and Aldo Xhepa were able to achieve an additional Gold (Aldo Xhepa), Silver (Fergeson Galea) and Bronze (Brayden Micallef) between them.

This meant a total of five medals: one gold, one silver, and three bronze.

For some, this was a continuation of an already-busy competitive calendar. For others, it was a first.

The 11-man team was led by Gianluca Barbara and Ditmir Vodinaj, the latter in his capacity as a national coach as well as ITL coach.

Vodinaj stood in the corners of Alycia Cassar and Michela Scerri, in their capacity as the national team of Malta.

The MTA congratulates the club and all participating athletes on their phenomenal performance at the 7th Asteriks Cup. A full report about ITL’s presence in the tournament can be accessd by clicking here.