New Delhi, September 13 (HS): Olympian and reigning mixed team pistol world champion Esha Singh clinched India’s first medal of the ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol in Ningbo, China, by winning gold in the women’s 10m air pistol event.
At the Ningbo Olympic Sports Centre, Esha edged out home favorite Yao Qianxun of China by a slender margin of just 0.1 points in a thrilling final. Korea’s reigning Olympic champion Oh Ye Jin had to settle for bronze.
This is Esha’s maiden World Cup gold in air pistol, the category in which she first began her shooting career. Speaking after the win, she said, “I am extremely happy because air pistol is the event that gave me my start in shooting. To clinch my first World Cup gold in this discipline is a huge achievement. It feels good to see some of my goals getting fulfilled.”
On upcoming challenges, she added, “The next big target this year is the World Championships. We are preparing hard for Cairo, and I am confident that the Indian team will perform strongly there.”
Discussing her mental approach during the tense final, Esha explained, “Yes, I knew India had not won a medal so far and that the competition featured world-class shooters. But I’ve faced many of them in finals before, so I knew that the real battle was with myself. I just tried to enjoy the match as much as possible.”
Alongside Esha, compatriot Rhythm Sangwan also reached the women’s air pistol final after both scored 578 in qualification, taking the last two spots. China’s Yao Qianxun topped qualification with 584, while Asian Games champion Palak Gulia, competing only for ranking points, shot the best score of 586. Surabhi Rao (568) finished 25th.
In the final, Rhythm made an excellent start and briefly led after the first five shots, while Esha was second. By the end of the second series, Esha surged ahead by 0.2 points, while Rhythm slipped to fifth and eventually stayed there until elimination. Esha held firm under pressure, producing clutch scores of 10.7 in her closing shots to finish with 242.6, just 0.1 ahead of Yao.
In the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol event, India’s Bhavesh Shekhawat scored 575 to finish 22nd, followed by Pradeep Singh Shekhawat (575, 23rd) and Mandeep Singh (562, 39th).
With Esha’s gold, India climbed to fifth in the medal standings and joined the list of five nations to have secured gold at Ningbo. Hosts China lead the tally with two gold, four silver, and one bronze. Interestingly, India has fielded its second-rung shooters for this leg, highlighting the growing depth of its shooting squad.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
