–by Pratyusha Mukherjee, Aichi-Nagoya, Japan
India’s Esha Singh produced a stunning display of composure under pressure to win the silver medal in the women’s 25m Pistol event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Monday, surviving five tense shoot-offs before narrowly missing out on gold.
The 21-year-old Hyderabad shooter finished the final with 38 hits, level with China’s Xiao Jiaruixuan. The Chinese shooter eventually prevailed 3-2 in the final shoot-off to claim the gold, leaving Esha with a hard-earned silver.
Both shooters also equalled the Asian Games record of 38 hits set by China’s Liu Rui at the Hangzhou 2023 Games.
Esha’s route to the podium was far from straightforward. After qualifying eighth with a score of 580 and 22 Xs, she found herself fourth in the final and in danger of being eliminated without a medal. But the world No. 1 responded brilliantly, producing a perfect 5/5 series to keep her medal hopes alive.
The Indian then faced North Korea’s Kim Hyon Suk in a tense battle for the silver-medal spot. The first two shoot-offs ended in identical 3-3 scores before Esha finally prevailed 3-2 in the third tie-breaker to book her place in the gold-medal contest.
The final showdown with Xiao was equally dramatic. The two shooters finished level at 38 hits, forcing a shoot-off for gold. The first tie-breaker ended 4-4, sending the contest into another shoot-off, where Xiao edged Esha 3-2.
The silver marks Esha’s second individual medal in the women’s 25m Pistol at the Asian Games, following her podium finish at Hangzhou 2023.
Earlier, India’s women’s 25m Pistol team of Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh and Rahi Sarnobat finished fifth with a combined score of 1727-56x. China won the team gold with 1743-68x, followed by South Korea with 1735-65x and Chinese Taipei with 1734-48x.
In individual qualification, Esha advanced to the final after finishing eighth with 580-22x. Manu Bhaker narrowly missed the final after placing 11th with 579-18x, while Rahi Sarnobat finished 30th with 568-16x.
With Esha’s silver, shooting has now contributed 12 medals to India’s Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games tally — one gold, seven silver and four bronze.
