Taiwanese shooter Yang Kun-pi on Wednesday qualified for the Paris Olympics by finishing third in the men’s trap shooting at the World International Shooting Sport Federation Championships Shotgun in Osijek, Croatia, Taiwan’s first-ever medal in a men’s competition at the event.
Shooting down 23 of 25 clay pigeons in the four-man sudden-death shoot-off, the 24-year-old eliminated India’s Bhowneesh Mendiratta in the first round to finish only behind Britain’s Nathan Hales and Derrick Scott Mein of the US, who missed only one out of 34 pigeons to outmatch Hales’ 31 in the final.
The bronze marked Taiwan’s first medal at the tournament this year and meant Yang became the first-ever male medalist for the country at the tournament.
Photo: CNA
Prior to Yang’s achievement, Taiwan had won three medals at the tournament, all involving Lin Yi-chun, who won gold and silver in women’s trap shooting and a bronze in the double trap women’s team event.
On Tuesday, Yang started strong in the qualifier, finishing top among the eight qualifiers for Wednesday’s second round by missing only two clay birds in five rounds of 25 each, not missing a single shot until he pulled the trigger for the 86th time.
Yang then routed France’s Clement Bourgue on the first shoot-off target in the ranking match, a semi-final, tiebreaker to make his way to the final, joining three others to clinch a quota spot for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
By clinching the Olympic spot, Yang, who had also participated at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, is to make his third consecutive appearance at the event.
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