It was also India’s first medal of the championship. The United States won bronze.
It was no small feat for the trio of Shapath Bharadwaj, Chardul Vihan and Arya Vansh Tyagi for the Italians are long-established powers in the discipline of the shotgun.
Especially since the Indians were behind the Italian team of Edward AntonioliEmanuele Iezzi and Gianmarco Barletta 0-4 before making a remarkable comeback.
Congratulations to Arya Vansh Tyagi, Shardul Vihan and Shapath Bharadwaj for winning 🥇 in the Trap Team Men’s Junior… https://t.co/dM2ONIx1nk
—NRAI (@OfficialNRAI) 1664033157000
Earlier in the day, Shapath, Shardul and Arya Vansh had shot a total of 205 in the qualifying phase, where each member shot three rounds of 25 targets each, to finish second behind the Italians who shot 206, qualifying as well for the gold medal game. .
Nothing was easy for the Indians that day as they tied with Team USA on the same scoreline and then beat them 2-0 in the play-off to secure a medal.
In the final, the three Indians missed a target each in the first 15-shot shootout. The winner of each play-off earns two points and the first to six wins.
The Italians missed two and took the first two points. Luck continued to elude the Indians until the second shootout, where they missed two of 15 shots, only to find the Italians missing just one to take the round and lead 4-0.
The Indians came back to win the third 13-12 to make it 4-2. Arya Vansh shot a second consecutive perfect five to lead India’s fightback.
2022 World Championships Update from Croatia ✅🇮🇳’s Men’s Jr Trap Team of @shardulvihan11, Shapath Bhardwaj and Arayav… https://t.co/s5VuKTUq4m
— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) 1664035536000
For the Italians, it was Edoardo Antonioli who circled the stars with three perfect fives, and he didn’t miss the final to finish with five perfect fives.
It got even better for the Indians who shot a perfect 15 in the fourth shootout and Emanuele Iezzi missed the 13th target to help India level at 4-4.
Gianmarco Barletta then missed his first target in the fifth shootout and India took a 6-5 lead, forcing the Italians into a timeout. It didn’t help, as Iezzi missed the first shot after and the Indians advanced for a 9-7 lead. They had not missed 24 consecutive targets.
India made that 26 before Vihan missed on the 27 but they were still ahead 11-9. The Italians finished strong, getting their last three birds, but the Indians tied, closing 14-12 with Arya Vansh shooting four straight fives and a total of 24 from 25 targets.
In the junior trap team event, the Indian trio of Preeti Rajak, Sabeera Haris and Adya Tripathi couldn’t make much progress, losing in the qualifying phase with a combined effort of 172. They finished seventh.
