Matthew Abela

Matthew Abela (born 18 March 1999) is a Maltese badminton player affiliated with Paola badminton club. He competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Men's singles.^[2]

Matthew Abela
Personal information
Country	Malta
Born	(1999-03-18) 18 March 1999 (age 25) Pietà, Malta[1]
Height	1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Handedness	Right[1]
Men's singles & doubles
Highest ranking	251 (MS 5 February 2019)
Current ranking	321 (MS 8 June 2021)
Medal record Men's badminton Representing  Malta Small States of Europe Championships 2023 Cospicua Mixed team
BWF profile

He is seven times Maltese National champion.

Career

Abela started playing badminton when he was 5 years old and his father, who is a coach, used to bring him to training sessions.^[3] He trained at the Paola badminton club, and entered the Maltese national team since 2011. He won his first U19 national junior title in 2011, and until 2019, he has collected eleven U19 national junior titles.^[1][4] He made his international debut in the junior tournament in 2013, and to improve and reach his future goals to become a better badminton player, he joining Badminton Europe's Centre of Excellence based in Holbæk, Denmark in September 2017.^[1][3]

Abela won six men's singles title and one mixed doubles title at the Maltese National Championships.^[4] With participation at 2020 Tokyo Olympics confirmed,^[5] Abela has also been confirmed as the first badminton player to ever represent Malta at the Olympics.^[6]

Personal life

Abela is a fan of Liverpool F.C. and has stated his favourite ever player is Steven Gerrard.^[7]

Achievements

BWF International Challenge/Series (1 title, 3 runners-up)

Men's doubles

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
2023	Kampala International	Maxim Grinblat	Brian Kasirye Muzafaru Lubega	15–21, 14–21	Runner-up
2023	Uganda International	Maxim Grinblat	Brian Kasirye Muzafaru Lubega	Walkover	Runner-up
2024	Botswana International	Maxim Grinblat	Agil Gabilov Dicky Dwi Pangestu	8–21, 15–21	Runner-up
2024	South Africa International	Maxim Grinblat	Dorian James Robert Summers	10–21, 21–19, 22–20	Winner

  BWF International Challenge tournament

  BWF International Series tournament

  BWF Future Series tournament

References

1. "Matthew Abela". development.badmintoneurope.com. Archived from the original on 14 August 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
2. "Badminton - ABELA Matthew". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
3. Lollike, Emma (10 August 2017). "Matthew Abela joins the Centre of Excellence". www.badmintoneurope.com. Archived from the original on 13 December 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
4. "Badminton Malta". badmintonpeople.com. Archived from the original on 12 June 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
5. "ABELA Matthew". Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
6. Muscat, Michela (4 June 2021). "Matthew Abela Will Be The First Badminton Player To Represent Malta At The Summer Olympics". bay.com.mt. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
7. Sommer, Emilie (19 March 2020). "Get to know Matthew Abela". badmintoneurope.com. Retrieved 9 June 2021.

External links

• Matthew Abela at BWFBadminton.com
• Matthew Abela at BWF.TournamentSoftware.com
• Matthew Abela at Olympics.com
• Matthew Abela at Olympedia