Asian games 2018 | Lakshay Sheoran claims trap silver for his first medal in seniors

Sheoran, a product of Sports Authority of India's Sonepat Centre of Excellence, was making his Asian Games debut and Twitterrati was in awe of his performance. The Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) athlete had started his shooting career in 2014. Sheoran, who has competed in many World Championships at the junior level, kept his cool to produce a perfect 5/5 when only the top three contenders were left to assure himself of a silver medal as India continued its impressive performance in the shooting range from where more medals are expected.

Lakshay Sheoran added to India's ever-swelling medals tally by clinching silver in the trap shooting event at the 2018 Asian Games currently underway in Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Palembang. Lakshay became just the third Indian after Karni Singh (1974) and Manavjit Singh Sandhu (2006) to win the men's trap silver at the Asian Games. The 19-year-old aggregated 43 in the gold-medal match. 

Chinese Taipei's Yang Kunpei won the gold with a Games-equalling score of 48 while Japan's Daemyeong Ahn settled for bronze with 30. India's Manavjit Singh Sandhu missed out on a podium finish as he ended up fourth with a score of 26. Manavjit had earlier topped the qualification with 119 out of 125 points and 12 on 12 in the shoot-off. 

In the final, the first-placed Sandhu shot three out of the first five targets, while Lakshay managed four, before both hit perfect second rounds. In fact, after missing his first shot, Lakshay then hit 17 in a row and was tied for the first spot after 15 shots. Sandhu and Lakshay missed one target each in the fourth of five series before elimination, where Lakshay dropped down to second while Sandhu went to fifth.

In the seventh series, Sandhu missed three targets which meant that he had to miss out on a medal.

Lakshay and Yang Kunpi both scored perfect series heading into the final round, and while the Indian was still in the fray, the gap between the two was too much to conquer. He missed just one target in the final series and won the silver. 

This was India’s third shooting medal at the ongoing Asiad and second silver of the day after Deepak Kumar’s 10m air rifle medal and India's fourth medal of the quadrennial extravaganza, third from the shooting range and second of the day.