Tokyo Olympics 2020: Skeet shooters Angad Vir Singh Bajwa, Mairaj Ahmad Khan exit in qualification

Tokyo: India’s Angad Vir Singh Bajwa finished 18th while his senior compatriot Mairaj Ahmad Khan ended 25th in the men’s skeet event of the Tokyo Olympics here on Monday. The 25-year-old Angad shot 120 across five series and Mairaj could manage only 117 at the Asaka Range. Placed a creditable 11th overnight and eyeing a finals berth at the end of the first three rounds, Angad missed his target thrice on the second day of the qualifying to bow out of contention without a fight. His sequence of scores read 24, 25, 24, 23, 24. On the other hand, Mairaj could not improve on his overnight position and ended the competition with scores of 25 24, 22, 23, 23 for a total of 117. France’s Eric Delaunay topped the qualification with an Olympic record 124+6 (including shoot-off), while Italy’s Tammaro Cassandro (124+5) grabbed second place. Eetu Kallioinen of Finland was third with 123 in the qualifying in which 30 shooters competed. In the skeet qualifications, each shooter pulls the trigger 125 times across five series and from eight shooting stations arranged in a semi-circle. The top six qualify for the finals, where they shoot 60 targets. Angad holds the world record in skeet with 60 out of 60, achieved at the Asian Shotgun Championships in Kuwait, in 2018. He had shot another 60/60 next year, in New Delhi, to getter the better of Mairaj on his way to defending his Nationals crown. Angad missed two targets out of 75 and was placed 11th on count back at the end of the third round on Sunday. Mairaj had 71 and was placed 25th out of the 30 shooters in fray.