ISSF Shooting: Prithviraj Tondaiman wins bronze at Lonato Shotgun World Cup

New Delhi, July 16 (IANS) India's Prithviraj Tondaiman survived three elimination rounds as he lived on the edge for most of the final to clinch a bronze medal in the Men’s Trap event as the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Shotgun in Lonato, Italy, concluded on Sunday.

This was his second individual ISSF World Cup bronze, after breaking through in Doha earlier this year and India’s only medal of the Lonato World Cup stage. 

Prithviraj shot 34, to bow out in third place after 40-targets. Great Britain’s Nathan Hales won the 50-shot final with a score of 49, while China’s Qi Ying took silver with 48 hits.

Coming ahead of the World Championships next month in Baku, which has 48 Paris 2024 Olympics quotas to offer, Prithviraj said, “It could have been better but I am happy. It’s great confidence before the world championship.”

Earlier, Prithviraj qualified for the six-man final with a score of 122 in qualification. Hales topped with 123 while Qi was second with the same score, but went down 3-2 in a shoot-off to determine bib numbers. Prithviraj also won the four-way shoot-off to determine places three to six, with five straight hits.

In the final, Prithviraj had to narrowly survive three elimination stages to win bronze. The first was after 25 shots, when Briton Aaron Heading bowed out with 20 hits, with Prithviraj managing 21. 

Then after 30 targets, Turkey’s Tolga Tuncer managed 24 hits to the Indian’s 25 to finish fourth. Then finally after 35 targets, Czech Republic’s Pavel Vanek missed his final two shots to tie with Prithviraj at 30 hits, but the Indian’s superior bib number meant the podium finish would be his.

Two other Indians in the competition were Bhowneesh Mendiratta and Zoravar Singh Sandhu. Bhowneesh, who won a quota in Men’s Trap at the World Championships last year, shot 120 in qualification to finish 14th while Zoravar was 53rd with a score of 115.