The Malta Shooting Federation yesterday celebrated William Chetcuti’s gold medal win in the Double Trap World Cup in Beijing, China, soon after the shooter’s arrival early in the afternoon.

Chetcuti and his coach Jimmy Bugeja made Malta proud on Easter Sunday as he became world champion after hitting a round of 49 in the barrage final to move from fourth to the top.

Addressing the press yesterday, federation president Saviour Portelli said this was a dream come true. “We have been working hard towards achieving such a success. It was in 2001 that William won his first medal in San Marino. Since then he never looked back. Now he is on top of the world and looking forward towards even more success with an eye on next year’s London 2012 Olympic Games,” he said.

Portelli added that the quota won by Chetcuti was not just for himself. “It is a quota for Malta. In fact, if Chetcuti will, for one reason or other, not be able to take part in next year’s Olympic Games, Malta will still be represented by another shooter. This does not mean that Chetcuti will not be going or that it will be Chetcuti representing Malta. However, we still hope that we will manage another quota. If not we will try to get a wild card, something which we did in the past,” he added.

Portelli said shooters needed more financial help from all quarters to be able to continue achieving such good results. “At present we have shooters so keen on their sport that they travel to places such as Chile and Australia to take part in World Cups even if they have to pay for everything out of their own pockets. They and their families make a lot of sacrifices and they certainly need more support to maintain their levels.

“On Sunday, it was a great emotional moment when Italian Shooting Federation president Rossi congratulated Malta and allowed me to hear the Maltese national anthem being played in China via his mobile phone. I started shouting ‘Campione del Mondo’ (world champion) as I went made with joy,” he said.

Portelli appealed to the authorities to consider giving more allowances to Chetcuti including an increase in wage, even if he thanked the Government and the Maltese Council for Sport for the efforts they were making to help William by employing him and giving him the chance to train like a professional.

He added: “All that is being offered to William is good, but we certainly need more to help him maintain his levels. We wish to see our shooters – not just William – taking part regularly in European Championships and World Cups, like all the others do regularly. With the budget we have at present, this is simply impossible.”

Portelli also revealed that Parliamentary Secretary for Sports Clyde Puli had set up a committee to start working on a proposal for the building of a national shooting range to include all disciplines. This was later confirmed by the Parliamentary Secretary himself, who said it was important for the ‘pyramid’ to be built on a solid base before rushing into decisions that might not bear the desired fruit in future.

Puli said that at present, work is being done on identifying a site for the project which could be realised through a public and private partnership.

Puli congratulated Chetcuti on his feat and said all Malta was proud of its shooter. “It is not just a personal success, but also an honour for the country. It was a confirmation of Chetcuti’s great talent. I simply hope that this result will serve as a message to all other sportsmen and sportswomen in Malta. I wish to thank the federation, his family and his coach Jimmy Bugeja, who had always believed in his protégé’s abilities,” he said.

Puli also announced that the secretariat and the KMS had decided to continue helping Chetcuti and were presenting him with a cheque for euro 10,000 which would enable him to buy the equipment he needed for his training.

MOC President Mr Justice Lino Farrugia Sacco and KMS chairman Bernard Vassallo also congratulated Chetcuti on his achievement.

Vassallo said that this must have been a great experience for William and should serve as motivation for an improvement of levels in local sport. “He has just won a battle, and now he must look forward to win the war,” he said, referring of course, to a possible success in the London Olympics next year.

Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco said this was a great satisfaction for Maltese sport. “It was not just a coincidence that IOC Solidarity decided to sponsor him 10 years ago. His talent had already been noted. He had been close to an Olympic medal in Athens and Beijing, yet the excitement played a big part and denied him the success he deserved. Now we have seen a more mature Chetcuti making sound progress in the final moments of a top world competition. He started fourth in the barrage, but climbed to the top after an exceptionally good round,” he said.

Farrugia Sacco added that all Maltese are hopeful of a resounding success in London next year. “Hopefully we will win our first Olympic medal, but this can only be achieved if we continue working hard together. It is an occasion we cannot miss,” he added.

Labour Party spokesman for Sports Chris Agius also congratulated Chetcuti. “Well done everyone. Winning a medal at a World Cup for the first time ever is a moment to be cherished by everyone,” he said.

Chetcuti said he had worked hard to obtain this success. “Together with my coach, I went through a very hard training programme, starting at 9am and finishing at around 3.30pm. In such a sport, it is important to peak at the right moment. After missing medals by a whisker in the past, I have finally made it to the top. It is a great moment for me and for the sport of shooting,” he said.