Over the weekend Australia’s Shotgun athletes finished competition at the ISSF World Cup Shotgun event in Lonato, Italy.
Breaking attendance records for the 2026 ISSF season, the Lonato World Cup welcomed over 600 competitors from 80 different countries, as athletes looked to prove themselves on the biggest stage.
Australia’s Trap Mixed Team duo of James Willett and Catherine Skinner rose to the occasion claiming the gold medal and setting a new world record score in the Trap Mixed Teams final.
Skinner and Willett claimed the lead early into the mixed team qualification stages, before eventually qualifying top of the field on a combined score of 146 out of 150, with James Willett hitting an impressive 75 out of 75 targets. The pair maintained their momentum moving into the final, this time with Catherine Skinner stepping up to deliver a flawless 20 out of 20 finals performance to secure to the gold medal and establish the new world record Trap Mixed Team finals score of 37 out of 40.
Australia’s duo of Penny Smith and Gabe Sensi fell just two targets short of making an appearance in the Trap Mixed Team Final, with a final qualification score of 143 out of 150.
This gold medal continues Australia’s history of medal success at Lonato, but was not the only standout performance of this year’s World Cup, as Charlton Vella also found individual success in the Men’s Trap competition.
In a highly competitive field of world-class trap athletes, Vella withstood the pressure to deliver a personal best World Cup qualification score of 122 out of 125. He narrowly missed out on making his first international finals appearance, falling just short in an eight-way shoot off to advance to the Men’s Trap finals.
Despite missing out on the finals, Vella was pleased with his performance, highlighting “A personal best is something I’m very proud of, especially to have achieved it at my first open World Cup. These fields are among the strongest in the sport, with Olympic champions and so many world-class shooters competing.”
“There is noticeably more pressure at an event like this one, but making sure I stuck to my routine and focussed on one target at a time helped. Off the layouts, the team and how well we all got along also helped, as did the grounding I received from my wife back home.”
Reflecting on who supported and contributed to his success in Lonato, Vella highlighted, “reaching a personal best at the Lonato World Cup was a team effort, and I’m thankful to everyone who has helped along the journey. My coaches have played a huge role in helping me prepare, both technically and mentally, making sure I was ready to perform at my best. I am also incredibly grateful to my family for their constant support. Knowing they believe in me and are behind me every step of the way gives me extra motivation.”
Australia’s Milad Nasr, Gabe Sensi and James Willett also competed in the Men’s Trap competition, whilst Kiara Dean, Laetisha Scanlan, Catherine Skinner and Penny Smith represented Australia in the Women’s Trap event.
Matthew Everingham represented Australia in Men’s Skeet alongside Luke Argiro, who made his return to international competition after a six-year absence. Reflecting on his return to the international circuit, Argiro highlighted “It was amazing to feel the atmosphere and excitement at such a high-level competition like Lonato.”
Reflecting on what it takes to be competitive at World Cup events, Argiro said “The competition has progressed a lot. The level feels like it is constantly getting higher and performances need to be flawless to be competitive. This experience will help me to understand the areas I have to improve on, both mentally and technically going into future events.”
The Australian team was supported in Italy by Shotgun Performance Coach, Renae Birgan, Shotgun Coaches Tom Turner and George Barton and Team Physio Josh Ferguson.
Australia was also represented amongst the ISSF Event Officials, with Queensland local, Mark Farrow, gaining valuable international officiating experience on the ground in Lonato.
Shooting Australia’s Shotgun Program Manager, Adam Hosking, reflected on the overall success of Australia’s attendance in Lonato, highlighting “This competition has been another great experience for the athletes and coaches as we approach the ISSF World Championships in November and work towards the 2027 season and the 2028 Olympic Games in LA.”
“The level of competition in Lonato was outstanding and it has been great for our athletes to compete in this environment. There have been so many positive things to take away from this competition and I am excited to see the team compete in the next World Cup in China later this month.”
