Date:12/05/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/12/stories/2008051260262100.htm

Sport - Shooting

Diamond sets World record

NEW DELHI: Two-time Olympic champion Michael Diamond won the trap gold by equalling his own Final World Record of 148 birds, but World champion Manavjit Singh Sandhu could only grab the 15th place in a competitive field in the Shotgun World Cup that concluded at Kerrville, U.S., on Saturday.

The 35-year-old Diamond who had won the gold in the Atlanta and Sydney Olympic Games, shot a perfect 25 in the final after having led the 53 trap shooters with a 123 out of 125 in the preliminary phase, along with Dominic Grazioli of the U.S.

Diamond had set the Final World Record of 148 while winning the World Championship at Nicosia, Cyprus, last year. Diamond had rounds of 25, 25, 24, 25 and 24 in the qualifying series.

Three shooters fought for the other medals as they tied at 143. Eventually, Massimiliano Mola of Italy and Dominic Graziolo took the silver and bronze medals respectively, leaving the reigning Olympic champion Alexey Alipov to the fourth spot as the Russian missed the first bird in the tie-shoot.

A below par 20 in the single-shot final saw Grazioli slip to the bronze, after he had led the field with a 25 in the last round of the qualifying series as compared to 24 by Diamond.

The results:

Men’s trap: 1. Michael Diamond (Aus) 148 (EFWR) 123; 2. Massimiliano Mola (Ita) 143 (2) 120; 3. Dominic Grazioli (US) 143 (1) 123; 15. Manavjit Singh Sandhu 116; 24. Anwer Sultan 113; 25. Mansher Singh 113. MQS: Zoravar Singh Sandhu 110.

Women’s trap: 1. Theresa Dewitt (U.S.) 94 (73); 2. Irina Laricheva (Rus) 91 (1) 72; 3. Joetta Dement (U.S.) 91 (0) 70; 21. Shagun Chowdhary 62; 23. Seema Tomar 60.