Chad Ziadie reclaims National Shotgun crown in championship

Chad Ziadie once again established himself as Jamaica's premier shotgun shooter, overcoming stiff competition and unexpected equipment problems to capture his third National Shotgun Championship title at the conclusion of the Jamaica Skeet Club's National Shotgun Championship.

The prestigious series, contested over several months at venues across the island, tested competitors across four disciplines, 5-Stand, FITASC, Super Sporting, and Sporting Clay, with consistency proving just as important as brilliance.

When the final scores were compiled, Ziadie emerged on top with an outstanding 432 birds from a possible 500, edging an inspired Aliana McMaster by just three points in one of the closest championship finishes in recent memory.

A champion's return to the summit

Ziadie's latest triumph marks another milestone in an already distinguished career.

He first made history in 2022 by becoming the youngest shooter ever to claim the National Shotgun Championship at age 26. After reclaiming the crown in 2024, he narrowly missed another overall title last season, settling instead for the A Class championship.

Rather than viewing 2025 as a setback, Ziadie used it as motivation.

That determination paid dividends this year as he returned to the summit with another championship-winning campaign.

His title run was anchored by victories in two disciplines, scoring 94 in 5-Stand and 91 in FITASC. He also posted 80 in Super Sporting, good enough for a top-10 finish, while his 167 in Sporting Clay secured a place among the event's top six performers.

Equipment problems could not derail the victory

Despite lifting the championship trophy, the path to victory was anything but straightforward.

"It feels good. Relief. I mean the competition this year was very tight. As a matter of fact, Aliana charged back from 13 behind to only lose by three. It just shows you how tough the competition was this year," Ziadie said.

He also revealed that technical issues with his equipment nearly disrupted his title bid.

"I faced some difficult challenges this weekend. My gun started to give me issues and I had to actually switch back to my old gun, so it felt very good to finish on top, going through those difficulties this weekend," said the delighted champion.

McMaster delivers another outstanding campaign

Although she narrowly missed the overall championship, Aliana McMaster continued to cement her reputation as one of the country's finest shooters.

Her impressive total of 429 birds earned the overall runner-up position while also securing a fourth Ladies championship and another Juniors title.

For McMaster, maintaining the right mindset proved to be the key.

"The joy of the sport. I can't say anything more than that. That's the only reason how I was able to keep my head focused and in the game and shooting well. It was just by coming out and having fun."

Champions across every division

Chad Ziadie takes aim during competition at the 2026 National Shotgun Championship, where he secured his third overall national title at Worthy Park Sugar Estate in Ewarton, St. Catherine.

The championship also recognized outstanding performances across multiple classifications.

Roman Tavares-Finson captured the A Class title with 426, while Rahjir DaCosta won B Class with 399. Chris Clarke claimed C Class honors on 353, Toni Barnes topped D Class with 339, and Neesa DaCosta secured the E Class championship with 338.

Aliana McMaster's 429 also earned both the Ladies and Juniors crowns, while Rheis McMaster took the Sub Juniors title with 342. Zander James won the Hunters/Beginners division after scoring 255.

Among the specialty awards, Geoffrey Ziadie was crowned Senior Champion with 387, Robert Yap Foo claimed Veteran Champion honors with 381, and former Jamaica Skeet Club president Ian Banks, already a nine-time national shotgun champion, captured the Super Veteran title after also finishing on 387.

Record participation signals bright future

Jamaica Skeet Club President Justin Samuda hailed both the quality of competition and unprecedented participation levels during this year's championship.

"So it was a really good turnout. We have had a lot of growth. The NSC which usually didn't attract the numbers that a club shoot would attract, this year we had 152 shooters that competed in some level of the NSC. That's up from last year which was about a hundred and thirty something shooters which last year was a record, so this year it's an increase. So the club is growing and vibrant and the committee remains on top of things and so we go up from here."

New elite division to raise the standard

Building on that momentum, Samuda announced the introduction of a new Double A division that will showcase Jamaica's finest competitors.

"We're also forming a double A class now and so there's the top 15 overall from the 200 bird and from the NSC overall will form our double A class, to which Ali, Chad, all the super six (shooters) that you saw today will be part of that."

The addition is expected to further elevate competition among the nation's elite marksmen while reflecting the continued growth and increasing standard of shotgun shooting in Jamaica.