Chad Ziadie, Aliana McMaster crowned National Shotgun Champions again

Chad Ziadie and Aliana McMaster are still beaming after being crowned National Shotgun Champions at the Jade Garden Restaurant in Kingston recently.

The champions, along with the many shooters who competed in the various events that make up the championship, were celebrated by the Jamaica Skeet Club at its awards function. The disciplines under the National Shotgun Championship are Super Sporting, Five Stand, Fitasc and 200 Target Sporting Clays.

Ziadie picked up his second championship this year after winning his first in 2022. He expressed his delight at winning his second title.

“It feels good. I definitely worked for it this year. I came up short last year, so it was in my books to come back and gain back my title this year. I worked hard with my coach Uncle Khaleel Azan all year, so it feels good to finish out the year on top.”

Ziadie is the youngest repeat winner of the Jamaica Skeet Club’s National Shotgun Championship. He was 26 when he won in 2022.

The runner-up was Christian Sasso who was a worthy challenger for the top spot after losing by just a few points. Sasso, who is a multiple national shotgun champion, was the 2023 winner.

National Shotgun Ladies Champion, Aliana McMaster, retained the title she won last year.

“It’s a great pleasure. Two years is crazy. I did not believe I could do it one time and now it’s 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 national male and female shotgun champions, there were several class champions. 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 and a past 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. 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 Zaidie 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,” Azan said.