Manavjit Singh Sandhu climbed up the scoreboard, outscoring Italy’s Daniele Resca and USA’s John Mullins to finish on the highest step of the podium with a total score of 145 hits.
The 2006 ISSF World Champion, India’s Manavjit Singh Sandhu, won today’s Trap Men final round, claiming Gold with a total score of 145 hits.
Shooting in a hot and windy Mexican afternoon, Sandhu made it to the final round with 122 targets after, one target behind the qualification’s leader Resca of Italy.
The Indian ace shooters shot his way to the highest step of the podium by hitting 23 out of 25 targets during the final round. Shooting solidly, he climbed up the scoreboard, first tying Resca, and then overtaking him at the 24th final target, as the Italian missed a fatal clay sliding in second place.
“I did not realize that I was going to win until the last shots. It has been a very close competition: I only won by one target. – Sandhu said - I shot aggressively up until the end and eventually made it to the top.”
“It was a long trip here from India but it was worth it! – added Sandhu – I am planning to take part in most of the ISSF World Cup stages, this year. My aim for the future? The Olympic Games, of course,” concluded the Indian Gold medallists, probably thinking of the ISSF World Championship that will take place in Munich next August, where the first Olympic Quota Places will be awarded.
Sandhu, 33-year old, is currently ranked tenth in the Trap Men world ranking, The Indian shooter finished twice on the podium last year, as he won a Bronze medal at the 2009 ISSF World Cup in Minsk (BLR) and a Gold medal at the Asian Championship in Almaty (KAZ).
Italy’s Daniele Resca, 23, competing in the second ISSF World Cup final match of his international career, missed four targets in the final. Finishing with a total score of 144 hits, he lost the leadership he had gained through the qualification and had to pass through a shoot-off against USA’s John Mullins to secure the Silver medal with a total of 144 targets plus 3 hits in the shoot-off.
John Mullins, 22, today’s youngest finalists, finished in third place with 144 targets plus 2 hits in the shoot-off, winning his first international medal. The young athlete had participated in four ISSF World Cup stages since 2006, but he had never made it to the podium, before.
Another first-time finalist, India’s 32-year old Anirudh Singh, closed the match in fourth place with 143 hits + 2, after shooting-off the seven-time World Cup Final winner Giovanni Pellielo of Italy by 2 to 1 hits.
While Pellielo placed in fifth with 143 +1 hits, the Silver medallist of the 2007 World Cup in Changwon, Spain’s Alberto Fernandez, ended up in sixth place with a total score of 142 clays.
The ISSF World Cup in Acapulco continues: the Double Trap Men final round will take place on Saturday the 6th, in the first hours of the afternoon. Check the schedule of competition!