World champion Manavjit Singh Sandhu came up with a strong start as he led with 49 out of 50 after two rounds in men's trap in the 12th Asian shooting championship in Doha, Qatar, on Friday.
Seeking to grab one of the four Olympic quota places on offer in the continental championship, Sandhu shot rounds of 24 and 25 to be the sole leader in a strong field of 48. Mansher Singh (46) and Kynan Chenai (45) were placed 11th and 20th respectively. The shooters will have three more rounds on Saturday, before the top six make the final.
Except a Chinese, no one from Asia has managed to get the Olympic quota places in men's trap from four World Cups and two World Championships. Thus, the competition is expected to be fierce between shooters from UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Chinese Taipei, China and Pakistan.
The results: Men: 25m standard pistol: 1. Vijay Kumar 572 (48); 2. Jin Yongde (Chn) 572 (43); 3. Tomohiro Kida (Jpn) 568; 16. Samaresh Jung 552; 24. Mahavir Singh 542. Team: 1. China 1695; 2. Thailand 1683; 3. Japan 1680; 5. India 1666.
Women: Trap: 1. Kang Geeun (Kor) 93 (73); 2. Yang Huan (Chn) 90 (70); 3. Yukie Nakayama (Jpn) 89 (69); 13. Shreyasi Singh 63; 20. Shagun Chowdhary 60; 21. Seema Tomar 60. MQS: Snehlata Singh Rajawat 63; Varsha Tomar 58. Team: 1. Japan 198; 2. China 195; 3. Iran 184; 4. India 183.
