Toyota: India’s Esha Singh produced a remarkable fightback under intense pressure to win the silver medal in the women’s 25m pistol event at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya on Monday, surviving multiple shoot-offs before finishing second on the podium.
This is Esha’s third silver in the Asian Games, having won silver in the 10m Air pistol individual event and team event in Hangzhou 2023,
Esha entered the final having only narrowly secured her place among the top eight, qualifying in eighth position after scoring 580-22x. But the Indian quickly put that behind her once the medal round began, opening the final with a perfect five hits from five shots.
She remained among the leaders throughout the early stages, although the contest repeatedly tightened at the top. Xiao Jiaruixuan of China moved ahead with consecutive perfect series, while North Korea’s Kim Hyon Suk also stayed firmly in medal contention.
The elimination phase brought further twists. Esha slipped down the standings after registering three hits, but responded with a flawless 5/5 to ensure that she remained in contention. When Vietnam’s Trinh Thu Vinh was eliminated, the Indian was guaranteed herself a medal.
The battle for bronze then turned into an extraordinary sequence of shoot-offs between Esha and Kim, who were tied on 34 hits. Both shooters initially recorded three hits, forcing another shoot-off. A technical interruption added to the tension before the contest resumed with a single-shot situation. Esha eventually prevailed, securing the bronze-medal position and earning the right to fight Xiao for gold.
The final showdown was equally absorbing. Xiao and Esha remained separated by just one hit before the Indian produced four hits to force another shoot-off. Both shooters then managed four hits apiece, sending the contest into yet another shoot-off.
With the gold medal within reach, Esha registered two hits while Xiao managed three, leaving the Indian with silver. Their combined scores reached 38, matching the Games Record of 38 hits set by China’s Liu Rui at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.
The medal adds another achievement to Esha’s rapidly growing record in the event. The Indian currently holds the women’s 25m pistol world record, having scored 43 hits at the Munich World Cup in May, and is also the reigning world No. 1.
Esha’s silver caps a dramatic morning at the range for India, following a disappointing team final in which the Indian women finished fifth after a costly target miss.
The Indian team, comprising double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker, Asian Games silver winner Esha Singh and multi-time Asiad medallist Rahi Sarnobat, had a total of 1727-56x combined in the precision and rapid events as another medal slipped away.
Moreover, only Esha managed to qualify for the individual final after finishing eighth, while Manu was 11th and Rahi finished a further 30th out of the 44 shooters that were in the fray in the event.
Only the top eight shooters were to qualify for the final, and Esha managed to do that by virtue of hitting more bullseyes after she was tied with Chinese Taipei’s Yen-Ching Cheng with 580 points. Esha had hit 22x, while Cheng scored 20x.
(IANS)
