Hangzhou, Jul 27: India’s Esha Singh clinched the gold medal while Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker secured bronze in the women’s 25m pistol event at the ISSF World Cup (Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun) on Monday, giving the country a double podium finish.
The 21-year-old Esha delivered a dominant performance in the final, scoring 40 hits to claim the top honour. Manu, a double medallist at the Paris 2024 Olympics, overcame a tense contest and won a crucial shoot-off before finishing with 28 hits to take the bronze medal.
India had dominated the qualification round, with Manu topping the standings with 586-20x, followed closely by Esha with 585-18x as both comfortably advanced to the eight-shooter final.
Former Asian Games champion Rahi Sarnobat narrowly missed the final after scoring 582-16x. Simranpreet Kaur Brar (576-20x) and Abhidnya Ashok Patil (573-16x), competing under Ranking Points Only (RPO) status, also put up creditable performances.
Speaking after her victory, Esha said the gold was particularly satisfying after dealing with the pressure of expectations following her record-breaking triumph at the Munich World Cup earlier this season.
“This match was very pressure-riding for me because of the previous medal I had. I’m happy that I was able to get past it today,” she said, adding that her familiarity with the Hangzhou range from the Asian Games, where she won four medals, worked in her favour.
Manu described the bronze medal as an important confidence booster ahead of the World Championships and the Asian Games, saying the experience gained from a highly competitive final would be invaluable.
The latest triumph adds to Esha’s remarkable season, having earlier set both the senior and junior world records with 43 hits in the final at the ISSF World Cup in Munich. (Agencies)
