Nagoya: Indian shooter Esha Singh delivered a gritty performance to capture the silver medal in the women’s 25m pistol event at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya on Monday. The podium finish came after a high-stakes duel against China’s Xiao Jiaruixuan, who edged out the Indian marksman in a tense second shoot-off to claim the gold medal. North Korea’s Kim Hyon Suk took home the bronze with 34 points.
Singh opened the final in commanding fashion, registering a perfect five hits in the opening series to seize an early advantage. She followed up with four successful targets in the second sequence, maintaining her grasp on the top spot after 10 shots. A minor stumble with three hits in the third series allowed Xiao to take the lead with 13 points, but Singh quickly regrouped with four consecutive hits to draw level at 16 points apiece at the 20-shot mark.
The contest tightened further as the competition progressed. After 25 shots, Singh, Xiao, and Kim were locked in a three-way tie at 20 points. Despite dropping to third position in the following round, Singh produced a clutch five-hit series to secure her place on the podium. With Xiao and Kim level at 32 points and Singh closely trailing at 31 after 40 shots, the Indian shooter held her nerve to force a tiebreak for the podium spots.
In the initial shoot-off for silver, both Singh and Kim matched each other with three hits across two consecutive series. Singh then seized the decisive advantage in the third set, hitting three targets to Kim’s two to eliminate the North Korean shooter and advance to the gold-medal showdown.
Facing Xiao for the title, both competitors finished regular proceedings and the first shoot-off deadlocked at 38 points, requiring a second sudden-death series to separate them. Xiao ultimately prevailed by the slimmest of margins, firing three hits to Singh’s two in the final contest to seal the victory.
Singh’s podium finish elevated India’s overall medal count to 39 at the ongoing continental showpiece, bringing the country’s haul to four gold, 17 silver, and 18 bronze medals.
