Lawrence DarmaninLawrence Darmanin

The Malta Shooting Sport Federation (MSSF) was in mourning yesterday following the death of Lawrence Darmanin, an avid enthusiast of the sport and an active target shooter himself having also represented the country at international level.

Darmanin, 57, was president of the Malta Air-Rifle and Pistol Shooting Club and a council member at the MSSF.

When air-rifle shooting sport became legal in 1995, Darmanin, a fully-qualified coach, set out on a challenging task to promote the Olympic discipline on our shores.

A new indoor range was introduced at the Bidnija complex and soon Malta was being represented at major events overseas including the Games for the Small States of Europe (GSSE) where medal success was also obtained.

Before taking up target shooting, Darmanin was active in other sport including football, athletics, volleyball and basketball.

He was a keen competitor at the indoor range though as he became more dedicated on his coaching.

“The highlight of my coaching career was when one of my young students was chosen by the International Olympic Committee to represent Malta in air-rifle for the first Youth Olympic Games held in Singapore in 2011,” he wrote in a personal sports overview a few months back.

“There were other good moments including the silver and gold medals we won at the Games for the Small States of Europe.”

Darmanin was elected president of the Malta Air-Rifle and Pistol Shooting Club in 2008.

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