Four medals for Malta

Recently, martial artists from the Shotokan Karate School of Malta (SKSM) took part in the EURKA European Championships in Milan, Italy.

Lucienne Galea, Samwel Schembri and Andrew Galea made up the Maltese team that competed in both kata (patterns) and kumite (fighting).

Seven-year-old Andrew Galea faced competitors from about nine different countries in kata. After two challenging rounds, Galea gained first place for Malta, winning the final round against two other athletes from Romania and Italy.

Lucienne Galea competed in the seniors ladies kata. She had to go through three tough rounds before reaching the final where she narrowly missed first place to a Hungarian athlete. Galea had to settle for silver.

Samwel Schembri figured in both kata and kumite, in which he claimed two bronze medals for a total haul of four for Malta.

Chris Galea, coach and head of SKSM, was also awarded the third-place overall trophy among the 15 countries participating.

These encouraging results by the SKSM athletes manifest the commitment of the school to represent Malta with high honours in the field of sport karate.

Both Lucienne Galea and Schembri, along with 10 other SKSM athletes, are now undergoing a rigorous training programme ahead of the World Shotokan Karate Championships to be held in October in Bucharest. Athletes competing in this event will represent over 30 nations.