Malta team place third in Palermo event

A team of three Maltese wrestlers achieved commendable results at the Grand Prix Sicilia tournament, fin­ishing third overall among 21 entries.

The competition, staged in Palermo, was held in conjunction with the Coppa Italia of Wrestling.

Although taking to the mat with only three wrestlers, namely Adam Vella, David Zammit and Abraham Vassallo, the Malta Wrestling Federation (MWF) trio, under the tutelage of national coach Jesmond Giordimaina, secured enough points to upstage 18 other teams.

All three reached their respective weight finals, Vella (60kg), Zammit (66kg) and veteran Vassallo (84kg). In all, they recorded seven wins in Sicily.

A silver medal could have been gold had Vassallo not awarded a walkover in his final bout after sustaining a slight injury in the semi-final. Vassallo decided to pull out in order to avoid aggravating the injury as he did not want to risk his participation in the Commonwealth Games, starting in India on Sunday.

Vella obtained three wins while Zammit and Vassallo had two each.

In a statement, the MWF expressed its satisfaction at the results gained by the Maltese wrestlers in Palermo, noting that Zammit, in particular, kept showing significant progress also thanks to his involvement in international competitions.