Manavjit Singh Sandhu faltered in the third round but kept himself in the race for a final onslaught on Monday, as he shot 70 out of 75 in trap at the Royal Artillery Barracks on Sunday.
Manavjit, the reigning Asian champion, shot rounds of 24, 24 and 22 to lie in the 25th spot in a field of 34. That may not be much to worry about, even though the two-time Olympic champion Michael Diamond was sitting pretty at the top with a perfect 75, followed by five shooters on 74, seven on 73 and five on 72.
A lot will depend on how the shooters fare in the next two rounds. Manavjit, in his third Olympics, has the potential to make it to the final where six shooters will take part.
Defending champion David Kostelecky of the Czech Republic was 10th at73, while Athens Olympics champion Alexei Alipov was 20th with 71. Giovanni Pellielo of Italy, world record holder and silver medallist in the last two Olympics, was 17th with 72.
