James Galea Jr emerged victorious in the Podium Cup trap event, the final classification competition of the season held over Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 November at the Malta National Shooting Ranges.
Galea Jr secured first place after an impressive performance in the final stages, finishing with 43 hits out of 50 targets and prevailing in a tense shoot-off. He edged out his father, Brian Galea, who also hit 43 out of 50 targets but finished second after the shoot-off. London 2012 Olympian William Chetcuti completed the podium in third place.
All participants shot at 125 qualification targets, with the top six shooters progressing to the final stages. The six finalists were William Chetcuti and Emmanuel Bugeja, who both hit 112 out of 125 targets, Brian Galea and Johan Xuereb, who each scored 109 out of 125, as well as Philip Camilleri with 106 out of 125 and eventual winner James Galea Jr with 105 out of 125.
In the finals, Galea Jr and Galea senior could not be separated over their initial series, both closing on 43 out of 50, before James prevailed in the decisive shoot-off. Chetcuti placed third with 31 hits from 40 targets, followed by Bugeja on 28 from 35, Xuereb on 23 from 30 and Camilleri with 16 from 25.
The Podium Cup brought the curtain down on the classification season, but competition continues later this month. The next event on the Malta Shooting Sport Federation calendar is the Handicap Competition, scheduled for Sunday, 30 November 2025 at the Malta National Shooting Ranges.
