Team Malta has officially begun its campaign at the 20th Mediterranean Games in Taranto, with Maltese athletes taking to competition across badminton, cycling, skeet shooting and Raffa on the opening day.
Among the day’s highlights was a 10-5 victory for Stefan Farrugia in Raffa, while Malta also recorded encouraging performances against strong international competition across the other disciplines.
Farrugia Starts With 10-5 Victory
Stefan Farrugia produced a strong opening performance against Slovenia’s Nik Svara, eventually securing a convincing 10-5 victory across eight ends.
After Farrugia established an early advantage, Svara responded by collecting five unanswered points during the third and fourth ends to threaten a comeback.
The Maltese athlete then regained control, shutting Svara out over the final four ends and outscoring him 6-0 to secure the win.
Farrugia returns to action on Sunday morning when he faces France’s Aurelien Corbihan.
Mifsud Finishes Ninth In Cycling Time Trial
Malta was represented by Andrea Mifsud and Aidan Buttigieg in the 17km cycling time trial through the streets of Taranto.
On a highly technical course filled with twists and turns, Mifsud clocked 21:26.80 to finish ninth, while Buttigieg completed the course in 21:57.39 to take 13th place.
They were competing in a strong 22-rider field featuring current and former professional cyclists, including Italy’s Mirco Maestri, Turkey’s Ahmet Orken and Cyprus’s Bogdan Zabelinskiy.
Attention now turns to Monday’s 140km Road Race, when Bernard Galea will join Mifsud and Buttigieg to complete the Maltese cycling team.
Cassar And Sciberras Remain In Skeet Contention
In skeet shooting, André Cassar and Liam Sciberras completed the opening three qualifying rounds, with each round consisting of 25 targets.
Cassar finished the day sitting 10th with a total of 68, while Sciberras was close behind in 13th with 66.
Both Maltese shooters return for the final two qualifying rounds on Sunday morning, with the top eight progressing to the second stage of competition.
Clark And Cassar Face Italian Pair In Badminton
Malta’s mixed doubles badminton pairing of Francesca Clark and Samuel Cassar faced Italy’s David Salutt and Martina Corsini in the Round of 32.
The Maltese duo ultimately bowed out following a 21-10, 21-12 defeat, despite producing a stronger second set against the experienced Italian pairing.
More Team Malta Action To Come
Team Malta’s Mediterranean Games campaign continues on Sunday, with more Maltese athletes entering competition.
Alycia Cassar is scheduled to compete in the women’s -67kg Taekwondo event at 10:00am, facing Croatia’s Ivana Arelic, while Nico Zarb enters the men’s wrestling elimination rounds at 10:30am.
Farrugia will also return for his next Raffa encounter, while Cassar and Sciberras continue their push through skeet qualifying.
