Former world champion Manavjit Singh Sandhu won the bronze medal in men’s trap but missed the Olympic quota place by one point in the shotgun World Cup in Acapulco, Mexico, on Tuesday.
The 38-year-old Manavjit shot 12 in the semifinals and had to win a shoot-off with two others to be eligible for the medal match.
He missed the chance to fight for the gold and ensure an Olympic quota place by one point, as Massimo Fabrizi of Italy beat two-time Olympic champion Michael Diamond of Australia for the gold 12-11. The top two medallists won the Olympic quota places.
Manavjit, who had missed two successive birds before the last while leading the six shooters in the semifinals, eventually had to win a shoot-off with Joao Azevedo of Portugal 12-11, after the two tied on 12-12 in the bronze medal match.
A two-time gold medallist in World Cups — in Acapulco itself in 2010 and in Tucson last year — the six-time Asian champion who won the silver medal in the Asian Games in Doha in 2006, Manavjit had also won a silver and two other bronze medals in World Cups earlier.
After shooting 49 out of 50 overnight, Manavjit had followed up in a similar brilliant fashion with rounds of 25, 24 and 25 to be placed second among the 83 shooters in the fray with a total of 123, one point behind Diamond.
The two other Indians, Prithviraj Tondaiman and Zoravar Singh Sandhu, who had also shot 49 overnight like Manavjit, were unable to follow up in a similar strong fashion.
Tondaiman placed 24th with a total of 120 as he shot 22 in the fourth round, while Zoravar Sandhu slipped further to be placed 49th with a total of 117.
Quite remarkably, the eventual champion Fabbrizi had to win a shoot-off for the last two berths in the knock-out with two others, Azevedo and Rod James Gould of Britain, after the three tied on 122. Thereafter, there was no looking back for the Italian.
The results: Men: Trap: 1. Massimo Fabbrizi (Ita) 12 (13) 122; 2. Michael Diamond (Aus) 11 (13) 124; 3. Manavjit Singh Sandhu 12 (12)12 (123); 4. Joao Azevedo (Por) 12 (12)11 (122); 24. Prithviraj Tondaiman 120; 49. Zoravar Singh Sandhu 117.
