Ankur Mittal Wins Silver In Men's Double Trap Event At World Shotgun Championship

India's Ankur Mittal carried on his scintillating form as he clinched the silver medal in the men's double trap event at the World Shotgun Championship in Moscow. Mittal ended with 66 points just behind Vitaly Fokeev of Russia (68 points) out of a possible 80. China's Binyuan Hu won the bronze with 50 points in the final. Ankur shot strong throughout the day, ending top in the qualification round with a score of 145 out of a possible 150. The Indian shooter got off to a brilliant start, hitting 39 targets out of a possible 40. Fokeev and Britain's Matthew French tried hard to stay in touch with Mittal but the Indian was proving to be too good.

However, Mittal lost some steam in the 5th round, missing three of his targets out of a possible 10, which allowed Fokeev to close in. Going into the final round both the shooters were tied at 53-all. There was nothing to separate between both the shooters in the final round as they were tied at 65 but Mittal then missed the next two targets to hand Fokeev the initiative. Mittal missed six targets in the final round of 10 shots that in the end cost him the gold.

Daniele Di Spigno of Italy was the first to be eliminated. The Italian had finished third in the qualification round. 

The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) tournament in the Russian capital presented an opportunity for shotgun shooters from across the world to qualify for the prestigious World Cup Finals, slated to be held in New Delhi in October. The medal winners in each of the five disciplines will secure their places in the World Cup Finals.

However, Mittal had managed to qualify for the New Delhi tournament, riding on his silver and gold medals in the season's first two World Cups in the Indian capital and Acapulco, Mexico. Mittal, a double trap specialist, was one of the favourites to grab another podium finish, having won a gold medal at the Asian Shotgun Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, in August.

Meanwhile, in the men's junior double trap event Ahvar Rizvi also won a silver medal at the World Shotgun Championship.