A young Maltese Taekwondo team returned from Serbia with an impressive medal haul after competing in two major international events: the prestigious Asteriks E3 tournament and the Asteriks Cup.

The Maltese contingent, made up of eight athletes and coach Gianluca Barbara, secured a total of seven medals across the two competitions: one gold, two silver and four bronze medals.

At the Asteriks E3 tournament, Malta earned one silver and two bronze medals. Alycia delivered one of the standout performances of the event, defeating Serbian opponents in both the quarter-final and semi-final stages before reaching the final against Bulgaria. However, an injury forced her withdrawal during the second round, leaving her with silver.

Jean and Michela also impressed with strong runs to the semi-finals, both securing bronze medals after narrowly contested defeats against Serbia and Israel respectively.

The following day at the Asteriks Cup, the Maltese athletes continued their strong form. Czarek claimed gold after defeating Romania in the +87kg final, while Jean secured silver following a close final against Turkey.

In the junior -55kg category, Brayden produced an outstanding performance by defeating opponents from Bulgaria, Greece and Hungary to claim gold. Matteo also impressed with victories over Serbia and Greece, while Robin secured an important win against Bulgaria before narrowly missing out on a medal place.