The Archery Association of Malta hosted the highly anticipated National Indoor Championships at its Pembroke range on January 27th and 28th, 2024.
Local archers delivered their finest performances, vying for a coveted spot on the national team and aiming to achieve new records and personal bests. Participants had already met a preliminary set score, earning them entry into this prestigious event. This event was judged and directed by Association President John Schembri.
In the fiercely contested Compound Men’s category, Jeremy Bartolo secured the top spot while setting three new National records. Bartolo excelled in the 18m and 25m rounds, improving the records to 581 and 575 points, respectively. Additionally, his combined score set a new benchmark at 1156, surpassing the previous record of 1130 set in 2000. Archer Karl Cutajar claimed the second position with impressive season-best scores of 568 and 561 points for a total of 1129. Daniel Schembri, despite facing formidable competition, secured the third spot with scores of 562 and 557 points in the respective 18m and 25m rounds for a total of 1119.
The Women’s compound competition witnessed intense rivalry between Marianne Buttigieg and Maria Bugeja. On the 18m distance, Bugeja narrowly missed Buttigieg’s earlier season record, scoring 557 points to Buttigieg’s 543. At the 25m distance, Buttigieg posted a total of 1091 points, while Bugeja set two new National records with 561 points on the 25m distance and a combined score of 1118 points.
Michelle Abela, a key figure in the Association’s recurve women’s category, delivered stellar performances. Despite a shaky start with 540 points on the 18m distance, Abela rebounded on the second day with a record-breaking 568 points on the 25m distance, surpassing her own 2019 record of 562 points. Abela also set a new record for the combined scores of both days, totaling 1108 points, surpassing her previous record by 1 point.
In the Compound Masters men’s event, Brian Micallef claimed the top spot with scores of 557 and 556 points, totaling an impressive 1113 points. Kevin Bonnici secured the first position in the Recurve men’s event with scores of 544 and 541 points, totaling 1085 points. Competing in the Recurve under 18 category, Jacob Buttigieg, despite facing an injury that led to his retirement from the competition, managed to post a respectable score of 329 points in the limited rounds he participated in.
The Archery Association of Malta takes immense pride in witnessing the remarkable performances and achievements of our local archers during the National Indoor Championships 2024. The demonstrated prowess of athletes such as Jeremy Bartolo, Karl Cutajar, Daniel Schembri, Michelle Abela, Maria Bugeja, and other athletes attests to the undeniable fact that the technical quality of Maltese archers is on a steady incline. As we celebrate the records broken and the triumphs earned, the Association eagerly anticipates what the future holds for our talented archers. Under the experienced leadership of President and Coach John Schembri, this consistent technical improvement has been a testament to the dedication and skill within our archery community.
Looking ahead, we are excited to resume our journey with outdoor competitions, scheduled to commence in March 2024, fostering an environment where our archers can continue to excel and make strides on the international stage.
