Team Malta’s performance at the 2025 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival (EYOF) delivered encouraging results, reaffirming the Maltese Olympic Committee’s strategic focus on long-term development – transforming athletes from mere participants into genuine competitors at high-level international events.
Malta opened its campaign with strong early-round performances in athletics.
Flag bearer Thea Parnis Coleiro advanced to the semi-finals of the 100m following a solid showing in the heats.
While she did not progress further in that event, she delivered a solid performance in the 200m, advancing from the heats to the final and setting a new national record of 24.06 seconds in the U-18 and U-20 categories during the semi-final.
Parnis Coleiro finished sixth overall.
Badminton player Jeremy Gatt delivered a spirited performance in the group stages, securing two wins out of four matches.
He showed resilience in a 2-1 victory over Slovakia’s Samuel Fodor, rallying back after a narrow first-set loss, and followed up with a straight-sets win against Norway’s Deeptanshu Toka (21-17, 21-16).
Despite his efforts, Gatt was outplayed by Denmark’s unbeaten Maxi Kaufmann and Greece’s Zisis Pegios, who won both sets 21-14.
Gatt concluded the group stage in third place.
Making its debut at these Games, Taekwondo saw Malta field two athletes.
Michela Scerri made a strong start, defeating Austria’s Mei Hui Liu 2-0 in the opening round. She then faced Turkey’s Nur Yilmaz, a more experienced opponent, and was narrowly beaten 2-0. In the -63 kg division, Alycia Cassar took on Germany’s Viktoria Rucinski. Cassar was edged out in a 2-0 loss, bringing her participation to a close in the first round.
In gymnastics, Sophie St. John – building on her recent success at the GSSE in Andorra – delivered a solid performance in the Girls’ All-Around event in Osijek.
Competing across four apparatus, she scored 9.800 on the Uneven Bars, 12.550 on the Balance Beam, 12.050 on Floor Exercise, and 12.650 on Vault, finishing 26th out of 97 athletes with a total score of 47.050.
Her performance on the Balance Beam earned her a place in the event final, in which she subsequently finished in seventh place.
Malta’s performance trajectory at EYOF illustrates positive momentum in long-term athlete development.
Maltese athletes have demonstrated that progress takes time – and consistent investment – though results are now starting to follow.
“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 Games Chef de Mission.
“These Games are of an exceptionally high standard, featuring youth European champions and Olympians – despite the young age of the participants.
“We’ve seen a clear shift in mentality: we’re no longer just participating, we’re competing.”