Esha Singh clinches silver medal in Women's 25m Pistol Event at Asian Games 2023

18-year-old Indian shooter Esha Singh secured a silver medal in the women's individual 25m pistol event at the Asian Games 2023 held in Hangzhou, China, on September 27. Esha's outstanding performance shone brightly for India in the competition, further bolstering the nation's impressive medal tally in shooting.

Esha Singh demonstrated exceptional skill, amassing a score of 34, which earned her the second position in the fiercely contested event. Her achievement was nothing short of momentous, but it was China's Rui Liu who claimed the gold medal with a remarkable score of 38, setting a new games record. Jiin Yang, another participant from a Chinese team, secured the bronze medal with a score of 29.

Notably, Rui Liu's gold medal performance was exceptional, not only securing the top spot but also surpassing the previous record held by India's Rahi Sarnobat, whose score stood at 34. Esha Singh's silver medal added to India's growing medal count in shooting, which now stands at 11, contributing to the nation's overall tally of 21 medals, including 5 gold, 6 silver, and 10 bronze.

While Esha Singh soared to victory, another Indian shooter, Manu Bhaker, narrowly missed securing a podium finish in the event. Manu had a strong start, leading the qualification round with an impressive score of 590. However, in the highly competitive final featuring eight women, Manu finished in fifth place with a total score of 21 points, despite her strong performance in the qualification round.

The gold medal match between Esha Singh and Rui Liu proved to be a riveting contest. Esha faced formidable competition as she missed three out of her five shots, while her Chinese counterpart had only one miss. This precision shooting ultimately secured the gold medal for China.

The final match experienced an unusual and extended delay due to a missing shot from a Korean shooter. Judges meticulously inspected both the target and the backup target to determine whether the shot was genuinely missed or had failed to register. This unexpected delay added a unique twist to the competition's proceedings.