Lakshay Sheoran shot 71, following rounds of 23, 23 and 25 in men’s trap, in the Asian shotgun championship in Kuwait on Sunday.
There were two shooters on 73, six on 72 and four others on 71 with Lakshay, revealing the intensity of competition for the two Olympic quota places on offer.
Two more rounds will be shot on Monday, followed by the final.
Zoravar Singh Sandhu (68) was in the 23rd place.
The Indian aspirations took a jolt as the former World Champion Manavjit Singh Sandhu was disqualified for his equipment not measuring up to acceptable standard.
The acting president of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo said that a protest had been lodged with the organisers, and the matter would be further taken up with the international federation.
“We feel that the treatment meted out to Manavjit Singh Sandhu is entirely unjustified. He has shot with the same stock in the Rio Olympics and several World Cups after that without any issues. The coaches had lodged a protest yesterday itself. A second appeal was lodged with the chief jury after he was disqualified today. It was rejected. We will certainly take up this matter with the ISSF and Asian Shooting Confederation (ASC) and hope justice will be served”, said Kalikesh Deo in a statement.
In women’s trap, Shreyasi Singh (71) was in the second place, while Bhavya Tripathi (68) and Manisha Keer (65) were in the seventh and 12th place.
Yogesh strikes it rich
Meanwhile, in the Asian championship for rifle and pistol in Jakarta, Indonesia, Yogesh Singh shot the standard pistol gold with a score of 572. The Indian team also bagged the gold.
Thus, India’s tally was 14 gold, 10 silver and eight bronze. China was in the second place with seven gold, five silver and four bronze.
Competition will continue with centre fire pistol event on Monday.
The results:
25m standard pistol: Men: 1. Yogesh Singh 572 (17x); 2. Davaakhuu Enkhtaivan (Mgl) 572 (7x); 3. Nikita Chiryukin (Kaz) 568; 6. Amit Kumar 565; 12. Om Prakash 553; Team: 1. India 1690, 2. Vietnam 1679; 3. Indonesia 1666.
