Strong start for Ganemat on Day 1 of Changwon Shotgun World Cup

New Delhi (PTI): Last year's junior World Cup bronze medallist Ganemat Sekhon of India on Thursday returned the joint third-best score in the Women's Skeet event at this year's third International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Shotgun stage 2 in Changwon, Korea.

The shooter from Chandigarh shot a credible 72 out of 75 on qualification day one to lie seventh in a 56-strong field. Two more rounds of 25 shots each are scheduled for day two before the top-six make it to the final round, also scheduled for day two on Friday.

Besides a coveted ISSF World Cup medal, there are also two Tokyo 2020 Olympic quota places to be won in the event. Two other Indians in the fray -- Maheshwari Chauhan with 66 and Rashmmi Rathore with 62 -- were lying at 35th and 49th positions, respectively. Reigning Olympic champion Diana Bacosi of Italy was leading the field with a score of 74 out of 75. Besides Ganemat, there were three other women on 72, including American legend Kimberly Rhode. Day 2 will also be the first day of qualifying for the Men's Skeet event, where India's Mairaj Ahmad Khan, Angad Vir Singh Bajwa and Sheeraz Sheikh will be fighting for medals and quota places.