India’s Mittal secures his first career Gold in Acapulco, gets his payback on Australia’s Willett
In Acapulco (MEX), after Willett beat his Indian rival and claimed the first Gold medal of the season in New Delhi (IND), Mittal returned the favour, besting the number 1 of the ISSF World Ranking and securing the first World Cup Gold medal of his career.
At the Club de Caza, Tiro y Pesca de Acapulco, both shooters started the match by missing only one of their first 30 targets, taking the lead together and battling head-to-head for the top position. In the sixth series, then, Willett missed 3 targets in three consecutive doubles, sliding 3 hits behind Mittal and allowing him to defend the 1st place with a consistent performance in the last ten doubles.
24-year-old Ankur Mittal concluded the final with 75 hits, also matching the World Record set by the same Willett at last month’s competition in New Delhi, while the 21-year-old Australian shooter finished with 73.
“I wouldn’t call it a revenge,” said Mittal after the award ceremony. “James is great shooter and winning and being defeated is all part of the game. The conditions in the finals range I would say they were perfect. Wind affected most of the qualification rounds, but in the afternoon it was not so strong.”
“It was great to share the podium with two young shooters. Shooting is a young sport, and we’re doing our best do make the people appreciate what we do.” Concluded the Gold medalist.
On the third step of the podium alongside Mittal and Willett placed 20-year-old Qi Ying of the People’s Republic of China. Qi, who placing 11th in New Delhi last month, claimed the second medal of his career in his second World Cup participation, adding it to the Gold he secured at last year’s Junior World Cup in Gabala (AZE).
Just outside of the medal position finished 35-year-old Andreas Loew of Germany: currently ranked 5th in the world and Silver medalist at last year’s World Cup stage in San Marino (SMR), Loew missed two targets at a crucial point of the match, finishing with 45 target hits.
Loew was followed by Enrique Brol (38) of Guatemala, Bronze medalist at the Toronto 2015 Pan-American Games, who concluded in 5th place with 34 target hits, while Italy’s 26-year-old Alessandro Chianese, who made it into the final once again after entering the last-six in all of last year’s World Cup stages, placed in 6th position with 26 hits.
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