Team Malta wrapped up its participation at the 2025 European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) with promising performances. Additionally, these reflect the Maltese Olympic Committee’s strategic focus on long-term athlete development. The results suggest a meaningful shift—from simply participating in major competitions to actively contending with Europe’s top youth athletes.
The festival, held between 20–26 July across Skopje (North Macedonia) and Osijek (Croatia), featured more than 4,000 athletes aged 14 to 18 from 50 countries, competing in 15 different sports. Malta was represented in Athletics, Artistic Gymnastics, Badminton, and Taekwondo.
Athletics: National Record and Finalist Finish
Flag bearer Thea Parnis Coleiro opened Malta’s campaign in athletics with a semi-final berth in the 100m. While she narrowly missed the final, she impressed in the 200m, advancing through both heats and the semi-finals, where she clocked 24.06 seconds—setting a new national record in both the U18 and U20 categories. She went on to finish 6th in the final, with a time of 24.07 seconds.
Badminton: Gatt Secures Two Group Wins
Jeremy Gatt, also one of the flag bearers during the Opening Ceremony, produced a spirited showing in the group stages of the badminton competition. He secured two wins out of four matches, including a gritty 2-1 comeback against Slovakia’s Samuel Fodor and a straight-sets win over Norway’s Deeptanshu Toka (21-17, 21-16). Gatt fell to stronger opponents from Denmark and Greece, finishing third in his group.
Taekwondo: A Sport’s Debut
Taekwondo made its EYOF debut for Malta with two athletes competing.
Michela Scerri got off to a confident start, defeating Austria’s Mei Hui Liu 2-0 in her opening match. She later faced Turkey’s Nur Yilmaz—a more seasoned athlete—and was narrowly beaten 2-0 in a competitive bout.
Meanwhile, Alycia Cassar competed in the –63 kg division but was eliminated in the first round after a 2-0 loss to Germany’s Viktoria Rucinski.
Gymnastics: Top-10 Finish for St. John
In Artistic Gymnastics, Sophie St. John—fresh off her success at the Games of the Small States of Europe—competed across four apparatus in the All-Around event. She scored:
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12.650 on Vault.
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12.550 on Balance Beam.
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12.050 on Floor.
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9.800 on Uneven Bars.
With a total of 47.050, St. John placed 26th out of 97 competitors. Her performance on the Balance Beam earned her a spot in the event final, where she finished a commendable 7th.
These performances underline Malta’s steady progress at the youth elite level. With a growing pool of dedicated athletes and a strategic vision built around high-performance development, the country is beginning to see tangible outcomes.
“Excellence isn’t achieved overnight, but our long-term approach to developing elite athletes is starting to deliver tangible results,” said Charlene Attard, Director of Sport and Chef de Mission. “These Games feature some of Europe’s top youth champions and Olympians. What’s encouraging is the shift in mindset—we’re not just participating anymore, we’re competing.”
The Malta Olympic Committee continues to invest in high-performance pathways. The EYOF acts as a key milestone in the journey toward broader international competitiveness.
Sports Editor
Veteran Journalist
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