Esha Singh edges China shooter for World Cup gold, Manu Bhaker claims bronze

The latest triumph continues Singh’s steady rise in international shooting. Last year, she became the first Indian woman to win a World Championships medal in the 25m pistol with bronze in Doha, months after claiming her maiden ISSF World Cup title in the 10m air pistol in Ningbo. Earlier this year, she won the 25m pistol title at the Munich World Cup with a world-record score of 43.

Singh had scraped into the final after finishing eighth in qualification, while Bhaker qualified sixth. The Indian started strongly with a perfect opening five-shot series before missing one shot in each of the next three series. A difficult fifth series, where she missed three shots, briefly brought the chasing pack back into contention, but Singh responded strongly, missing only four shots across the remaining five series to seal the gold medal.

Bhaker, meanwhile, endured a slow start after missing six targets in her opening three series before recovering well to clinch the bronze medal. With both Singh and Bhaker competing in the 10m air pistol and 25m pistol events, Singh welcomed the healthy competition within the Indian squad.

“It’s always great to have strong competition within the team because it pushes all of us to improve. Manu is an outstanding shooter, and competing alongside her raises the overall standard. At the end of the day, we are teammates representing India, and it’s always special when multiple Indian shooters are on the podium,” added Singh.

The Hangzhou World Cup has also given Singh a timely boost ahead of the World Championships in Doha later this year, where Olympic quota places will be at stake. Having won silver medals in both the 10m air pistol and 25m pistol at the Asian Games, Singh believes the experience of competing in two events has helped her become a more complete shooter.

“Competing in two events is challenging, but I have been preparing for both throughout the season. It demands good physical and mental management. Competing in both 10m and 25m requires a different mindset and preparation, so performing well in both reassures me that I’m on the right track. My focus is on executing my process consistently, and if I do that well, the results and the Olympic quota will follow,” she said.

Since last year, Singh has also been working closely with India’s high-performance manager Ronak Pandit, who feels the latest title is a sign that the changes they have been working on are beginning to show, even as there are areas that still need refinement.

“Second title this year means we are on the right track. We have been working on certain things, and there are certain things where she needs improvement. She has been facing some difficulty in her lifting in the rapid stage, also in the finals. But it’s good that we are able to perform well amid these. In the coming months, whether it’s her stability, her lifting, her triggering, all of those areas need to be worked upon. Hopefully we will be one step better at the Asian Games and one step better at the World Championships,” Pandit said.