Go Team Malta! Local athletes Gianluca Chetcuti and Sasha Gatt named flag bearers for the Paris Olympics
The countdown to the Paris Olympics has begun! The Maltese Olympic Committee has announced that Shooter Gianluca Chetcuti and Swimmer Sasha Gatt will be bearing the Maltese flag, representing Team Malta during the Games’ Opening Ceremony on July 26th.
The ceremony will take place on the River Seine that runs through Paris, on which boats carrying each national delegation will travel a 6-kilometer route in front of the Trocadéro, culminating in the final show.
This is Gianluca Chetcuti’s first time at the Games, having begun his international shooting career in 2014, winning a junior bronze medal in Double Trap at the Italian Nations Cup. He later won the gold medal at the 2017 edition of the Games of the Small States of Europe, and bronze at the European Championships. In 2019, he switched to Trap and set a new Maltese record at the 2023 European Games.
Sasha Gatt was one of Malta’s youngest Olympians at the Tokyo Games in 2021, after setting a National Short Course Record in the 800m freestyle in Germany when she was just 13. Her consistent performances earned her the highest FINA points from World Aquatics, making her Malta’s top-ranked female swimmer.
Completing Team Malta are Track Athlete Beppe Grillo, Judoka Katryna Esposito, and Swimmer Kyle Micallef, all making their Olympic debuts.
Team Malta’s Olympic activity begins on July 27th with Judoka Katryna Esposito in the -48kg event, followed by Gianluca Chetcuti’s qualifying events on July 29th and 30th. Sasha Gatt will compete in the 1500m freestyle heats on July 30th, Swimmer Kyle Micallef in the 50m heats on August 1st, and Beppe Grillo in the Men’s 100m Preliminary Round on August 3rd.
Wishing the best of luck to Team Malta!