A group of martial artists from Team Noel have won a total of 19 medals – 13 gold, three silver and three bronze – in an international competition held in Switzerland recently.

The World Martial Arts Games were organised by the World Kickboxing Network (WKN) where athletes from around the world met to compete in different disciplines and categories.

Team Noel was composed of 11 members who all won medals in their respective categories. They contested boxing, kick-boxing, K1 and Muay Thai matches.

Some of them also took part in the Light Muay Thai category for the first time but they still managed to finish among the medal winners.

The matches were divided into two parts, light contact, where competitors focus on gaining points, and full contact where they can use their full strength during the match. In both levels, participants are obliged to wear protective equipment.

Eight-year-old Aiden Azzopardi was the youngest member of Team Noel.

Competing in his first international match, Azzopardi won a bronze medal in kickboxing.

Courtney Vella, Aiden Borg Catania, Karl Demicoli and Julian Mangion won gold in Light Muay.

The light/full kickboxing competition brought a spate of gold medals for the Maltese side thanks to Matthew Brown, Clayton Desira, Brent Spiteri, Vella, Borg Catania and Mangion.

Isaac Chetcuti took silver while the young Azzopardi, Joachim Mifsud Attard and Demicoli claimed bronze.

Brandon Spiteri captured gold in K1 while Brent Spiteri had a silver medal to show for his efforts in boxing.

During the Games, the Maltese team met with Jerome le Banner, a top-level professional athlete in K1 and kickboxing.

Le Banner was impressed with the standards shown by the Maltese athletes during the competition, telling them that “Malta is a small country but with a big heart”.

Meanwhile, another Gladiators Night activity will be organised next month for amateur athletes in the disciplines of kickboxing, K1, boxing and Muay Thai.

For more information, visit the Facebook page of Ying Yang Kickboxing or contact Noel Mercieca on 7920-8283