Indian trap shooters disappoint at Baku World Cup

Indian trap shootrs faltered at the ongoing ISSF World Cup in Baku, failing to secure berths in the title round, on Sunday. The disappointment came to a head when Vivaan Kapoor bowed out after a tense shoot-off with Great Britain's Matthew John Coward-Holley, the Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist.

Vivaan Kapoor, who displayed remarkable grit throughout the competition, shot an impressive 120 in the qualification round, positioning himself for a three-way shoot-off for the sixth and final qualifying spot. His contenders in this decisive shootout were Ireland’s former junior world champion Ian O’Sullivan and the formidable Coward-Holley.

As the tension mounted, Ian faltered at the very first shot, leaving the battle between Vivaan and Coward-Holley. Despite his valiant efforts, Vivaan couldn't maintain his momentum, missing his third shot while Coward-Holley demonstrated unwavering accuracy, nailing all three targets to secure his passage to the next round. Ultimately, Vivaan had to settle for seventh place in the rankings.

The disappointment extended beyond Vivaan Kapoor's exit. Prithviraj Tondaiman, with a score of 117 and a rank of 24th, and Bhowneesh Mendiratta, scoring 116 and ranking 39th, also faced setbacks in the men's trap event, contributing to India's underwhelming performance.

In the women’s trap event, the struggles persisted. Rajeshwari Kumari, scoring 108, finished in a disappointing 23rd place, while Shreyasi Singh, with a score of 107 and a rank of 29th, and Manish Keer, scoring 105 and ranking 38th, found themselves further down the leaderboard.