Gianluca Chetcuti smashes National Record to claim Historic Santa Marija Grand Prix Title
Gianluca Chetcuti delivered a flawless, masterclass performance at the Southern Shooting Club to win the prestigious Santa Marija Grand Prix and set a brand-new Maltese national record.
Competing under the newly introduced International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Finals format, Chetcuti displayed nerves of steel to hit a perfect 30/30 clays in the final stage, etching his name into the local shooting history books.
Elite Field Battles Extreme Summer Heat
The grueling two-day Trap event saw 27 elite athletes battle both a highly challenging target field and soaring, extreme summer temperatures. Each competitor shot at 125 qualifying targets across the weekend, producing an incredibly high standard of scores.
Brian Galea dominated the initial qualifying phase, finishing as the top shooter on both days with a brilliant 73/75 on Day 1 and 48/50 on Day 2. However, the final stages belonged entirely to Gianluca Chetcuti, who surged from a fourth-place qualification seed to capture the gold.
The legendary William Chetcuti secured a silver podium spot, while Emmanuel Bugeja finished comfortably in third place overall.
Final Stages Standings
- 1st Place (Gold): Gianluca Chetcuti — 30/30 (New National Record)
- 2nd Place (Silver): William Chetcuti — 26/30
- 3rd Place (Bronze): Emmanuel Bugeja — 21/25
- 4th Place: Brian Galea — 14/20
- 5th Place: Abiel Cassar — 12/15
- 6th Place: James Galea Jr — 10/15
- 7th Place: Nico Sciberras — 7/10
- 8th Place: Shazen Grech — 6/10
Category and Divisional Honors
The tournament also recognized outstanding depth across classes and age brackets. Abiel Cassar enjoyed a spectacular weekend, claiming the Class B division title and being officially declared the Best Junior Athlete of the tournament. Meanwhile, Nazzareno Attard shot his way to the top of the Veterans Category.
Class A Results
- Brian Galea (121/125)
- William Chetcuti (120/125)
- James Galea Jr (119/125)
Class B Results
- Abiel Cassar (113/125)
- Shazen Grech (111/125)
- Philip Camillieri (110/125)
Class C Results
- Jeremy Vassallo (97/125)
- Joseph Mallia (97/125)
- Vincent Cassar (92/125)
Barrage B Winner
In the secondary single-shot 25-target Barrage round for the top shooters who missed out on the main top-six final, Jason John Aquilina (Class A) claimed victory with a score of 17/25.
Next Up: The President’s Cup
There is very little downtime for Malta’s top marksmen. The local shooting community now shifts its focus to the highly anticipated President’s Cup, which is scheduled to take place this coming weekend on August 23, 2026, at the state-of-the-art Malta National Shooting Ranges in Ta’ Kandja.
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