Fergeson “Ferdie” Galea from Iron Taekwondo made his international debut at the World Taekwondo Senior Championships in Wuxi, China, representing Malta in the tough -63 kg category.
This division brought together 85 of the world’s best athletes in one of the sport’s top venues. Galea’s performance impressed everyone, showing that Malta’s new generation of Taekwondo talent has a bright future.
Drawn against Fernando Lewis of Panama in the first fight of Day 2, Ferdie showed great confidence and maturity. Although he lost both rounds by just one point, his strong tactics and quick kicking skills stood out.
In the second round, he almost turned the fight around with a spinning round kick that narrowly missed his opponent’s head. Earlier, he landed a clean double round kick that was not immediately counted by the electronic scoring system, but after a video review, the point was correctly awarded.
Outside the matches, the trip to Wuxi was a great learning experience. Before the competition, Ferdie trained with athletes from around the world, including the Kazakhstan national team and fighters from New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and the Cook Islands. These sessions gave him and his coach, Gianluca Barbara, valuable experience at the international level.
Coach Gianluca praised Ferdie’s attitude and hard work, saying:
“You’ve shown real discipline, courage and commitment over the past two years. I’m proud of the effort you’ve put in, keep going, and keep working hard.”
Fergeson Galea’s debut in Wuxi marks an important step for Maltese Taekwondo. His strong performance highlights the growing level of the sport in Malta and the hard work of clubs like Iron Taekwondo that continue to raise the standard on the island.
