Asian Games 2026:Amidst the disappointing performance of Indian shooters in pistol events at the 2026 Asian Games, some good news has emerged: India's Esha Singh has won the silver medal in the women's 25m air pistol event.
Esha lost to a Chinese shooter in the very final moments, causing the gold medal to slip from her grasp. Nevertheless, she secured a significant medal for the country. This marks only the second medal for India in pistol shooting at these Asian Games.
On Monday, September 28 the ninth day of the Asian Games India had high hopes for the 25m pistol shooting event. However, the team faced disappointment in the women's 25m team event and missed out on a medal.
Nevertheless, Esha Singh, a member of that team, qualified for the final. The 21-year-old Indian star delivered a strong performance and remained firmly in contention for a medal throughout the event.
This is how the gold slipped out of Esha's grasp.
She held the top spot during the opening two series (with five shots per series) and remained in second place up to the fifth series. Although she dropped to fourth place during the seventh series, she staged a comeback to reach third.
Subsequently, a shoot-off took place between her and Korean shooter Kim Hyun-sook for second place. After tying on points in two consecutive shoot-offs, Esha prevailed in the third to secure the second spot.
Next came the series where Esha faced off against China's Xiao Jiaruixian, who was leading the field. Esha put up a strong performance in the final series, drawing level with the Chinese shooter at 38 points apiece. Consequently, the gold medal had to be decided by a shoot-off.
Both shooters were tied in the first shoot-off, necessitating a second one. However, Esha faltered in the third shoot-off; she landed only two of her five shots on target compared to the Chinese shooter's three, resulting in Esha winning the silver medal.
How many medals have been won in shooting so far?
This marks Esha's third silver medal overall at the Asian Games. She had previously won a silver medal in the individual event at the last Asian Games, where she also secured silver in the team event. Meanwhile, another gold medal slipped out of India's grasp at the current Games—a recurring theme seen several times during this event.
In total, this is India's 39th medal, though it is only the second in pistol shooting. Earlier, Kamaljeet and Suruchi had won gold in the 10m air pistol mixed event. Overall, this is India's seventh silver and twelfth medal in shooting this year.
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