HighLights
  1. The Indian shooter finished with 38 hits.
  2. The final produced a remarkable battle between Esha and Xiao.
  3. Esha’s silver also shows her consistency in the 25m pistol event this season.

Esha Singh won a hard-fought silver medal in the women’s 25m pistol final at the Asian Games 2026 on Monday, narrowly missing out on gold after an intense shoot-off against China’s Xiao Jiaruixuan.

The Indian shooter finished with 38 hits, the same score as Xiao, but the Chinese shooter prevailed in the decisive shoot-off to claim the gold medal. Kim Hyon Suk of South Korea took bronze with 34 hits.

Esha’s silver was secured after a dramatic finish in which the two shooters remained locked together at the top following the elimination rounds. With both on 38 hits, the gold medal had to be decided through a shoot-off.

ALSO READ: Asian Games 2026: Manu Bhaker Misses Medal; Esha Singh Advances To Shooting Final

Esha Singh Takes Gold Battle To The Wire

The final produced a remarkable battle between Esha and Xiao. After the first shoot-off, both shooters recorded four hits out of five, leaving them level once again and forcing another shoot-off for gold.

The second shoot-off finally separated the two. Esha missed three of her five attempts, while Xiao missed two, allowing the Chinese shooter to edge ahead and take the gold.

Despite missing out on the top step of the podium, Esha produced a composed performance throughout a highly competitive final and had to fight through multiple shoot-offs before securing silver.

The final standings saw Xiao finish with 38 hits, with Esha also on 38. Kim Hyon Suk claimed bronze with 34, while Vietnam’s Trinh Thu Vinh finished fourth with 30.

Esha Keeps India’s Shooting Medal Run Going

Esha’s silver adds another medal to India’s strong shooting campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

The 20-year-old had entered the competition in strong form, having won the women’s 25m pistol gold at the ISSF World Cup in Hangzhou in July. She finished that final with 40 hits and had also won gold in the same event at the ISSF World Cup in Munich earlier in the year.

ALSO READ: Tejaswin Shankar Clinches Bronze In Men’s Decathlon at Asian Games 2026

The Asian Games final came after Esha qualified among the top eight earlier on Monday. She scored 580 with 22 Xs in qualification, while two-time Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker finished 11th with 579 and missed the final. India’s women’s 25m pistol team eventually finished fifth.

Esha’s silver also shows her consistency in the 25m pistol event this season.

The ISSF had previously highlighted her World Cup success in 2026, including her gold-medal performances in Munich and Hangzhou.


Also In News