Maltese Double Trap shooter William Chetcuti obtained another commendable result in his fledgling career when placing fourth in the ISSF World Cup Final, held yesterday in Dubai.
Chetcuti seemed on course to make his way into the medal zone after finishing atop the 11-man chart at the end of the first three rounds but a somewhat below-par performance in the final barrage saw him slipping one point adrift of the two contenders for the silver medal.
The 20-year-old, Malta's brightest prospect for a first-ever Olympic medal, had been in vintage form in the first three rounds, hitting 48, 47 and 47 for a total of 142 from 150.
Of the 11 shooters starting yesterday's competition, only Sweden's Hakan Dahlby, the eventual winner, matched Chetcuti's score in the first three rounds.
The two went into the final barrage sharing top spot on 142 points, ahead of Korea's Jung Hwan Park (140), Russia's Vasily Mosin (139), Walton Eller, of the United States, (139) and Italy's Marco Innocenti (138).
Ahmed Al Maktoum, the Athens Olympics gold medallist, pulled out of the competition yesterday.
In the barrage, Dahlby, second overall in an International Tournament held recently at the Bidnija ranges where Chetcuti established a new world record of 148 points, smashed 43 clays to ensure first place with a 185-total.
Mosin and Eller both hit 45 to finish level on 184 points, only one better than Chetcuti. Eller had to settle for bronze after losing the shoot-off to his Russian opponent.
Chetcuti's tally of 41 points from 50 in the barrage left him facing a three-man shoot-off with Park and Innocenti, all three having amassed 183 points. Here, the Maltese shooter kept his nerve to pip his rivals to fourth place overall.
Pippo Psaila, the Director of Sport of the Malta Olympic Committee (MOC), pronounced himself satisfied with Chetcuti's performance.
"I am delighted about Chetcuti's fourth placing in the World Cup," Psaila told The Times. "This is another prestigious result for Chetcuti. No Maltese sportsman had ever gained such a positive result in a high-level international competition."
Earlier this month, Chetcuti became the first athlete to qualify for the MOC's Outstanding Athlete Scheme. Psaila said: "Our 'Quest for Glory' programme is designed to help Chetcuti gain the necessary experience which should better his prospects of striking good results in international competitions on a regular basis.
"Next year, William will take part in more competitions overseas as part of his build-up for the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008."
Lino Farrugia Sacco, the president of the MOC, shares Psaila's view that Chetcuti's fourth-placing in the World Cup underlines his progress over the past 12 months.
"Last year, Chetcuti's ninth-place finish in the Athens Games was hailed as a very encouraging result. Just over 12 months later, Chetcuti has once again distinguished himself by finishing fourth in the World Cup Final," Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco commented.
"This result shows that Chetcuti is on the right track to enjoy further international success which will hopefully lead to the fulfilment of the lifetime dream of Maltese sport...an Olympic medal."
Contacted in Dubai, Saviour Portelli, president of the Malta Shooting Federation, acclaimed Chetcuti's fourth placing as "another success".
"The result recorded by Chetcuti is definitely another success for the shooting federation," Portelli said. "It was the first time a Maltese shooter qualified for the World Cup Final.
"Chetcuti was among the leading challengers throughout the shoot. He did his best and we are all happy with his performance... he was up against the best shooters in the world."
2005 has indeed been a very fruitful year for Chetcuti. In the Games of the Small States of Europe (GSSE), held in Andorra earlier this year, Chetcuti successfully defended the gold medal he won at Bidnija two years before.
The high expectations surrounding Chetcuti continued to rise when he won a bronze medal in the Mediterranean Games in Almeria.
Chetcuti extended his fine form into July by winning silver in two events, the European Junior Championships and a World Cup shoot. The two competitions were staged in Belgrade.
A few weeks after his Belgrade success, Chetcuti finished seventh overall in another top-class competition in Brazil.
Top six shooters (Double Trap): 1. Dahlby (Sweden) 142+43 - 185; 2. Mosin (Russia) 139+45 - 184 (SO+4); 3. Eller (US) 139+45 - 184 (SO+3); 4. Chetcuti (Malta) 142+41 - 183 (SO+4); 5. Park (South Korea) 140+43 - 183 (SO+3); 6. Innocenti 138+45 - 183 (SO+1).
Adam Vella third in Trap
Meanwhile, Adam Vella, the Australian shooter of Maltese descent, won a bronze medal in the Trap competition at the World Cup Final.
Vella had a total of 143, two less than the gold medal winner, Italian Giovanni Pellielo, and just one point behind Russia's Alexey Alipov who took silver.