The day at the Malta Judo National Dojo started with our little dragons gathering on the tatami. Around 100 judoka aged 3 to 11 years, joined some of the coaches on the tatami and showed off their judo skills during a 90 minute festival. This festival is a precursor for judo competitions which is open for children from 12 years old. Next year, some of the clubs are also opening for parent and toddler lessons, starting from 2 year olds. Those interested can contact the Malta Judo Federation and we will direct you to the closest club.
The day continued with the Espoir categories for those aged 12 years and over. This age group is of particular interest to the technical team as these are the athletes who will eventually be our future champions. The National Champions in this age category were:
Arnaudez Alicia and Arnaudez Isabella from Tigne Judo Club; Camilleri Kyle from Kinsu Judo Club; Mintoff Miguel, Ibnass Samy and Khalaf Hadi from Malta Judo Academy; and Sharrock Xavier from Kamikwai Judo Club.
The next item on the agenda for the day were the cadet, junior and senior categories. These championships were of special interest as some names from previous national teams, such as Spiteri Cormack, came back to compete. Some elements such as Zerafa Thomas and Grech Alec showed exceptional judo and gave exhilirating fights, even if they did not manage to win the titles. National team member Khalaf Sadek was uncontested in his category and competed in the 66kgs, placing 2nd.
The winners in the cadets, junior and senior categories were: Mifsud Borg Aisha, Stojanovic Aleksa and Jordanosvki Gorjan from the Malta Judo Academy, Max Marie and Aufieri Francesco from Kinsu Judo Club, and Catania Francesca from Tigne Judo Club.
Special thanks to the referees, doctor, and volunteers who made this event possible.






