Asian Games 2026: Esha Singh wins silver in thrilling 25m Pistol final

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Indian shooter Esha Singh delivered a stellar performance to claim the silver medal in the women’s 25m pistol individual event at the Asian Games 2026 on Monday, missing out on the gold by a single shot after navigating a thrilling sequence of five shoot-offs.

The 21-year-old world No. 1 from Hyderabad showed incredible resilience by winning three shoot-offs to take herself into medal contention before engaging in two more close duels for the gold against China’s Xiao Jiaruixuan. Both competitors finished the regulation series tied on 38 points, but Esha stumbled on the final shot of the ultimate shoot-off to settle for second place.

“Yes, I was under pressure, and this is the longest match of my career so far. My arms were aching at the end of it,” reflected the young star.

North Korea’s Kim Hyon Suk secured the bronze medal after losing her shoot-off against Esha, finishing with a tally of 34 points. Earlier in the day, Esha qualified for the final clash in eighth place with a score of 580, whereas two-time Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker missed the cut after finishing 11th with 579 points, capping off a difficult campaign where she also missed out on the 10m air pistol podium.

India’s medal prospects in the corresponding 25m pistol women’s team event were over following an uncharacteristic collapse by seasoned shooter Rahi Sarnobat.

Sarnobat had a disastrous score of 39 in the fourth series (each series comprises five shots) and India, who could have finished on the podium, were decisively knocked out of contention. The 2018 Asian Games gold medalist ultimately wrapped up her individual campaign in 30th place with an aggregate score of 568.

Indian men’s cricket team reach semi-final of Asian Games

Earlier, the Indian men’s cricket team entered the Asian Games semi-final without even taking the field after its quarter-final against Afghanistan was abandoned due to rain.

India will take on the winner of the quarter-final between Nepal and Sri Lanka to be held on Tuesday. If that match is abandoned, then Sri Lanka, by virtue of their higher ranking, will take on India in the semi-final.

(With inputs from ANI)

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