ISSF Shotgun World Cup: Ankur Mittal wins double trap gold in Acapulco

Ankur Mittal ended with 75 points out of possible 80 in the six-man final to win India's first medal in the competition while his Australian rival James Willet managed 73.

New Delhi: India's Ankur Mittal won the men's double trap event to win his first World Cup gold at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Acapulco, Mexico on Wednesday.

Ankur, who had won silver in the same event at last month's World Cup in Delhi, clinched the gold ahead of Australian rival James Willett, who had won gold with a world record score in Delhi, but had to settle for a silver in Acapulco

Mittal ended with 75 points out of possible 80 in the six-man final to win India's first medal in the competition while Willet managed 73.

Ankur shot strong throughout the day, ending second in qualification with a score of 138 out of a possible 150. He also got the better off China?s Ying Qi 6-5 in a shoot-off to decide second and third spots after both had finished their qualifying rounds on the same score.

In the ensuing 80-targets final round, Ankur missed a total of five targets, including just two in his last 40 to equal the World Record and finish on top with a score of 75.

The Indian shooting fraternity was full of praise for Ankur for his feat:

Congratulations to Ankur Mittal for his win at Acapulco ! Well done — Abhinav Bindra (@Abhinav_Bindra) March 23, 2017

Ankur Mittal wins his first World Cup Gold medal in Double Trap at Acapulco. Well done Ankur! Way to go team India. — Raninder Singh (@RaninderSingh) March 23, 2017

With the gold medal, Ankur also equalled world no. 1 Willet's WR score of 75, with the latter finishing with 73 hits. China's Qi Ying finished third to take bronze.