Daijiworld Media Network - Toyota
Toyota, Sep 28: India’s Esha Singh produced a superb 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 a series of dramatic shoot-offs before finishing second on the podium.
The silver is Esha’s third at the Asian Games. She had previously won silver in the individual 10m air pistol and team events at the Hangzhou 2023 Games.
Esha entered the final after narrowly securing the eighth and last qualifying spot with a score of 580-22x. However, she quickly put the qualification struggle behind her, opening the final with a perfect 5/5.
She remained among the leading shooters through the early stages, although the battle at the top remained closely contested. China’s Xiao Jiaruixuan moved ahead after consecutive perfect series, while North Korea’s Kim Hyon Suk stayed firmly in medal contention.
Esha briefly slipped down the standings after managing three hits during the elimination phase, but responded with a flawless 5/5 to remain in contention. After Vietnam’s Trinh Thu Vinh was eliminated, Esha was assured of a medal.
The fight for the bronze-medal position then produced a tense series 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 competition resumed in a single-shot situation. Esha eventually prevailed to secure the bronze-medal position and earn the chance to challenge Xiao for gold.
The final battle was equally close. Xiao and Esha remained separated by a single hit before the Indian produced four hits to force another shoot-off.
Both shooters then managed four hits each, sending the contest into another shoot-off. With the gold within reach, Esha registered two hits while Xiao produced three, leaving the Indian with the silver medal.
Their combined scores reached 38 hits, equalling the Games Record of 38 set by China’s Liu Rui at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.
The medal further adds to Esha’s impressive record in the event. She currently holds the women’s 25m pistol world record after scoring 43 hits at the Munich World Cup in May and is also the reigning world No. 1.
Esha’s silver came after a disappointing morning for the Indian women’s team, which finished fifth in the team final following a costly target miss.
The Indian team comprising double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker, Asian Games silver medallist Esha and multiple Asiad medallist Rahi Sarnobat recorded a combined score of 1727-56x in the precision and rapid stages.
Only Esha managed to qualify for the individual final. Manu finished 11th, while Rahi was 30th among the 44 shooters in contention.
The top eight shooters qualified for the final, with Esha securing the last spot after being tied on 580 points with Chinese Taipei’s Yen-Ching Cheng. Esha had 22 bullseyes compared to Cheng’s 20, giving her the advantage in the qualification tie-break.