Esha Singh Wins 25m Pistol Gold at ISSF World Cup

By: Women Entrepreneurs Review Team | Tuesday, 28 July 2026

Reigning Asian Games double silver medalist Esha Singh further extended her stellar success in the 25m pistol event by securing her second gold of the year in the ISSF World Cup in Hangzhou, China on 27th July.

The Hyderabad shooter ended with 40 hits, three more than China's Zhang Yueyue. Esha claimed her third ISSF World Cup victory, while Paris Olympics double medalist Manu Bhaker followed her lead and picked up bronze after hitting 28 targets.

“Winning my second World Cup title in the 25m is a very special moment. I felt proud and relieved: proud because the hard work and hours on the range are paying off, and relieved because I executed my plan under pressure. This title shows consistency and growth since my first win,” Esha said.

Esha's impressive achievement is a continued success in her international shooting career. She also bagged her first ISSF World Cup medal, in the 10m air pistol, last year, and months later, won her first World Championships medal in the 25m pistol, becoming the first Indian woman ever to do so in the competition. She was a World Cup champion earlier this year with a world record 43 in the 25m pistol event at Munich.

Key Highlights:

• Esha Singh wins 25m pistol gold at the ISSF World Cup in Hangzhou
• Manu Bhaker claims bronze, giving India two medals
• Win boosts Esha's confidence ahead of the World Championships

Esha began strong with a perfect opening five-shot series before missing one shot in each of the next three series. That was a rough fifth series in which she missed three shots, but Esha bounced back in the next five, shooting off just four, to take the gold.

The opener, Manu, meanwhile, had a slow start after missing her first six targets in the first three series but bounced back well to clinch the bronze. Esha was pleased with the good competition she saw in the Indian team, as both she and Manu were shooting in the 10m air pistol and 25m pistol events.

“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,” Esha added.

The Hangzhou World Cup has also provided Esha a welcome shot in the arm before the World Championships in Doha later this year. Esha has previously won silver medals in the 10m air pistol and 25m pistol events at the Asian Games, which she feels has helped her to become a full-fledged 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,” Esha said.

Esha has also been working closely with India's high-performance manager Ronak Pandit, who believes that the latest title ireflects the changes that they have been working on.

“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,” Ronak said.