Esha singh ends India’s ISSF medal drought

Indian shooter Esha Singh ended India’s medal drought at the ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol by winning gold in the women’s 10m air pistol event at the Ningbo Olympic Sports Centre on Saturday. The 20-year-old Olympian edged out home favourite Yao Qianxun by a narrow margin of 0.1 points in a thrilling final. South Korea’s reigning Olympic champion Oh Yejin secured the bronze medal.

This victory marked Esha Singh’s maiden World Cup gold in the women’s 10m air pistol category and helped India rise to fifth place in the medal standings, joining four other nations with a gold medal. China leads the standings with two gold, four silver, and one bronze medal. India had fielded shooters ranked fourth to sixth in each event at the tournament.

Esha and teammate Rhythm Sangwan qualified for the final with identical scores of 578, taking the last two available spots. Yao Qianxun topped qualification with 584, while India’s Palak Gulia, competing for ranking points, scored 586. Surbhi Rao finished 25th with 568.

In the eight-shooter final, Rhythm Sangwan started strongly, leading after the first series with Esha in second place. By the halfway mark, Esha moved into the lead, while Rhythm slipped to fifth, where she eventually finished. Rhythm briefly climbed to fourth with a 10.8 on her 15th shot but was eliminated after the 18th shot. Esha maintained her composure, scoring two crucial 10.7s at decisive moments to withstand Yao’s late surge, ultimately sealing gold with a final score of 242.6.

Speaking after her win, Esha Singh said, “I am very happy as this is the first event that I started with, and to win a World Cup gold in it…I am just happy that some of my goals are being reached.” On her focus during the final, she added, “I now know that the pistol is in my hand and the battle is with me, so I try to enjoy the match as much as possible.” She confirmed that the next major challenge for the Indian team is the World Championship in Cairo, and preparations are already underway.

In other results, Bhavesh Shekhawat finished 22nd in the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol with 575, followed by Pradeep Singh Shekhawat in 23rd with the same score. Mandeep Singh placed 39th with 562 points.

In a gesture of recognition and encouragement, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy congratulated Esha Singh on her World Cup triumph and gifted her a cash prize, acknowledging her achievement as a source of pride for the nation and the state.

Esha Singh’s gold medal not only ends India’s medal drought at the ISSF World Cup 2025 but also highlights the growing strength of the country’s shooting contingent on the global stage.