Ankur Mittal shot the highest qualification score of 143 but had to settle for the bronze in Men’s Double Trap at the 6th Asian Shotgun Championship in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
Ankur started with a round of 26 and followed it with a perfect 30. In the third round he again lost three targets to shoot 27. He was bang on target with two straight perfect rounds of 30 each to be the best in the qualification phase, but a round of 27 in the semifinals reduced him to a fight for the bronze.
Infact, Ankur had to win a shoot-off with Hamad Alafasi of Kuwait, competing as an ÔÇÿÔÇÖIndependent Shooting Participant (ISP)ÔÇÖÔÇÖ 2-1, after being tied on 27, to eventually beat Saad Al Mutairi (ISP) 30-27 in the bronze match.
Ahmad Alafasi (ISP) and Saif Alshamsy of the UAE had shot 29 in the semifinals and won the gold and silver respectively.
The Indian trio of Ankur (143), Yoginderpal Singh (131) and Sangram Dahiya (129) won the team silver.
The Results:
Men’s Double Trap: 1. Ahmad Alafasi (ISP) 26 (29) 135; 2. Saif Alshamsy (UAE) 24 (29) 139; 3. Ankur Mittal 30 (27) 143; 4. Saad Al Mutairi (ISP) 27 (28) 135; 8. Yoginderpal Singh 131; 14. Sangram Dahiya 129. Team: 1. ISP 407, 2. India 403, 3. UAE 400.