ISSF World Championship Rifle/Pistol Day 7: Esha Singh Creates History

Day 7 of the ISSF World Championship Rifle/Pistol 2025 in Cairo, Egypt, marked a successful return to the podium for India, with young pistol shooter Esha Singh clinching a well-deserved Bronze medal in the Olympic event of Women’s 25m Pistol.

This bronze not only restarted India's medal-winning momentum after a blank day but, more significantly, sealed Esha Singh’s first-ever individual medal at a senior World Championship, capping off an exceptional season for the former junior world champion. Her performance helped India wrap up its engagements in the 10 Olympic shooting events at the World Championships with a historic total haul.

The Women's 25m Pistol final was the single medal event on the day, drawing immense focus to the highly competitive field. Esha Singh and her teammate, two-time Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker, both navigated the crucial two-stage qualification process successfully, ensuring a strong Indian presence in the final. Their collective efforts ensured the nation finished the major portion of the championships with an outstanding overall performance, maintaining a high position in the medal table among the world's best shooting nations.

Esha Singh’s Composure Secures Bronze in High-Stakes Final at ISSF World Championship Rifle/Pistol

Esha Singh, who started the day in fourth position after the Precision stage, shot a confident Rapid-fire round to sail into the final with a combined qualification score of 587, taking the fifth qualifying spot in the field of 86. Her teammate Manu Bhaker also advanced, securing the sixth qualifying spot with a score of 586. Their veteran teammate, Rahi Sarnobat, missed out on the final and the team medal, finishing 56th.

The 10-series elimination final, comprising five rapid-fire shots each, was a fiercely contested affair. Esha and Manu both started strongly with four hits in the opening series. The competition intensified rapidly, and after the seventh series, Esha, Manu, and France’s Mathilde Lamolle found themselves tied on hits. Unfortunately, Manu Bhaker was eliminated after a challenging eighth series, finishing in a disappointing fifth place.

Esha Singh, however, held her nerve in the tense closing stages. She struck a four in the ninth series while Lamolle faltered, securing her spot in the top three. She finished the final with a score of 30 out of 50 shots, earning the bronze medal behind the Republic of Korea's reigning Olympic Champion Yang Jiin and China's Yao Qianxun. This medal is a huge career milestone for the 20-year-old athlete.

India Wraps Up Olympic Events with Historic Haul at ISSF World Championship Rifle/Pistol

Esha Singh's bronze medal brought India’s total medal tally in the 10 Olympic shooting events to a historic haul of one gold, four silver, and two bronze medals. In the overall championships, including non-Olympic events like the 50m Free Pistol, India's count rose to three gold, five silver, and four bronze medals.

Despite the strong individual finish, the Indian trio of Esha, Manu, and Rahi Sarnobat narrowly missed out on the team medal in the 25m Pistol Women event, finishing fourth with a tally of 1745, just three points shy of the bronze-winning French team.

Overall, India is now firmly placed in third position on the medal table, behind leaders China and second-placed Korea, but celebrating a hugely successful campaign in Cairo.

Edited by Sooryanarayanan Sesha