The National Sports School gymnasium is packed full of parents, primary school students, and a menagerie of judo officials and athletes. An exam is taking place, and Katryna Esposito has just aced it. A ruptous roar arises from the very partial spectators. A Hansoku-make call, an automatic disqualification of a judoka for infringement of the rules, has just delivered Malta its first judo medal in nearly two decades at the Games of the Small States of Europe.
By Matt Nelsen
The moment is one of composed jubilation. Esposito respectfully bows to her opponent and match officials, before joyously greeting her coach and acknowledging the gathered crowd. Not only has the judoka ended a gold medal drought for Malta in the sport, she has earned the very first gold medal for the host nation at the 2023 edition of the Games. “The last gold medal in judo was actually won by a female who was here in the stands,” explained a much calmer Esposito. “She was one of the volunteers. There was a lot of pride towards it. She came and she congratulated me. That, in itself, was enough,” declared Esposito.
Stepping stones
Along with her gold medal at the GSSE, Esposito was responsible for bringing home Malta’s only medal, a bronze, from the 2022 Commonwealth Games. She looks at the two events as stepping stones on the way to much larger and historic goals. “The next aim is to try and get a medal on the International Judo Federation tour, then hopefully make it to the Olympics,” asserts Esposito. “Smaller countries tend to put more emphasis on these games, and a lot of the funding is involved with the results you get at these games because you can compare the sports directly. So there is a bit more pressure. It’s definitely a good step forward, but obviously I want to keep aiming higher.”
Her lofty dreams are built on humble beginnings. Esposito practiced judo from an early age. Her father began acting as her sensei when she was just four years old. She practiced recreationally for years, but decided to train seriously for competition in 2019. She has achieved much in the four years since that fateful decision. She explained her approach to competitive judo for Discover the Games, stating, “When I go on the mat to fight, I try not to look at the country or who’s in front of me. It’s a fight. It’s like a blank face for me. Afterwards, off the mat, I’m friends and working with everyone.”
Homeland hero
Her friendly attitude was on full display after her victory. She took photographs with her parents, and spoke with many of the Maltese faithful. While her personal aims are higher, the reaction of the crowd made it clear that she’s already seen as a hero in her homeland. Participation in the Olympic Games may seem like a lofty goal for Esposito, but so did a gold medal at the Games of the Small States of Europe for a long time.