The young Maltese karatekas contingent participating in the 5th Trofeo Pelicone in Syracuse, Sicily, managed to win seven medals and all youngsters placed in the top ten of their respective category.

This is a remarkable achievement for the Maltese contingent and augurs well for the future of competitive Karate in Malta.

The Trofeo Pelicano was held in the first days of July and saw the participation of 600 athletes from Sicily, Calabria, Piemonte and Malta.

The Maltese contingent was made up of athletes from the Fgura Karate Club and Pembroke Karate Club and they were accompanied by officials from the Malta Karate Federation, namely Sensei Joe Tanti and Sensei Michelle Vella.

The Maltese athletes participated in this event through their membership within the Malta Karate Federation which is a direct affiliate of the World Karate Federation as well as the Maltese Olympic Committee.

The competition was held under the auspices of the Italian Karate Federation (FIJILKAM).

The results obtained by the Maltese athletes were:

Gilson Steve placed 1st in under 6 years

Vella Matthew placed 3rd place in the under 8 years

Sciberras Travis placed 1st in the under 10 years

Dalli Jake placed 3rd in the under 10 years

Galea Thomas placed 2nd in the under 12 years

Vella Annabel placed 3rd place in the under 13 years

Vella Julia placed 5th in the under 15 years

Other promising athletes were:

Abela Neil, Azzopardi Keelan, Borg Dana, Borg Kyle, Camilleri Jacob, Caruana Alexia Chloe, Caruana Bond Matteo, Farrugia Joelle, Gilson Amy, Marlow Owen, Micallef Sean, Pace Melanie, Pace Melvin, Pisani Thomas, Xuereb Gaby.