Chad Ziadie and Aliana McMaster are still beaming from being crowned Jamaica’s National Shotgun Champions at the Jade Garden Restaurant in Kingston recently.
They, along with the many shooters who competed in the various events that made up the championship, were celebrated by the Jamaica Skeet Club at its awards function.
The disciplines under the National Shotgun Championship are Super Sporting, 5 Stand, Fitasc and 200 Target Sporting Clays.
Ziadie, who picked up his second championship after winning his first in 2022, was pleased with another title.
“It feels good. I definitely worked for it this year. I came up shot last year to Christian (Sasso) so it was in my books to come back and gain back my title this year. I worked hard with my coach Uncle Khaleel, all year so it feels good to finish out the year on top.”
Ziadie, now 28, is the youngest repeat winner of the Jamaica Skeet Club’s national shotgun championship after narrowly defeating Christian Sasso, who is a multiple national shotgun champion in his own right.
Ladies Champion Aliana McMaster was a repeat winner, having won it last year as well.
“It’s a great pleasure to be able to achieve such a great achievement. Two years is crazy. I never even thought I could do it one time and now two. I am incredibly grateful and thankful for all the support I had, all of the coaching, my parents, God, everything. I can’t believe this is happening again.”
McMaster became the first female to make it to A Class, as well as the first female to make the Super Six in the 200 Bird shoot.
In addition to the declared national male and female shotgun champions, there were several class champions as well who are expected to become better shooters as they go through the ranks.
The National Shotgun Class Champions were A Class – Craig Simpson; B Class – Brandon Laing; C Class – Anthony Desnoes; D Class – Cameron Lee; E Class – Fraser McConnell; Hunters or Beginners Class – Tatrecia Mitchell; Juniors – Aliana McMaster; Seniors – Geoffrey Ziadie; Veteran – Robert Yap Foo and Super Veteran – Brett Thwaites.
Ian Banks, President of the Jamaica Skeet Club who is himself a national shotgun champion, holds the record of having the most wins having won it nine times. He was very pleased with the gains in the sport in 2024.
“It’s been a very, very exciting year. Very successful and exciting year this year. We have a new 200 target champion. We have a repeat national champion, a repeat ladies national champion so it was a very, very exciting and rewarding year.”
Khaleel Azan, former president and long-time coach was proud of his young charges who have done well in the sport.
“It is great to see the juniors that we started with from many years ago, 2010, develop not only to champion shooters but great young men. To see Chad Ziadie again winning the national championship. To see the younger ones winning the different national championships in the different classes, it’s really encouraging for the sport.”