Asian Games 2026: Esha Singh clinches silver in dramatic 25m pistol shoot-off

Nagoya: India's Esha Singh claimed the silver medal in the women's 25m pistol event at the 2026 Asian Games on Monday following a dramatic series of shoot-offs against China's Xiao Jiaruixian.

Esha finished tied on 38 points with Xiao, who ultimately secured the gold medal in the second shoot-off. North Korea's Kim Hyon Suk earned the bronze medal with 34 points.

Esha opened the final in commanding fashion, registering a perfect five hits in the first series to assume the early lead. She backed that up with four hits in the second series to maintain her position at the top of the standings after 10 shots.

The Indian markswoman subsequently dropped to second place following a three-hit series, which allowed Xiao to take the lead on 13 points. Esha responded with four hits in the following series to draw level with Xiao on 16 points after 20 shots.

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Esha and Xiao remained tied on 20 points through 25 shots, with Kim making it a three-way tie at the summit. Although Esha fell back to third after the succeeding series, she produced a vital five-hit performance in the next to ensure a podium finish.

With Xiao and Kim joint leaders on 32 points and Esha on 31 after 40 shots, the Indian shooter required a strong performance in the closing stages. Esha and Kim subsequently entered a shoot-off to determine the silver and bronze medals.

Both competitors recorded three hits across each of the initial two shoot-off series, before Esha prevailed in the subsequent round with three hits to Kim's two, guaranteeing herself at least a silver medal.

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Esha then took on Xiao in the gold-medal shoot-off. Both shooters remained level on 38 points following the standard final and the initial tie-break, prompting a further five-shot shoot-off.

Xiao ultimately secured the gold medal by the narrowest of margins, landing three targets to Esha's two in the final shoot-off to leave the Indian shooter with silver.

The result marks India's 39th medal of the Asian Games, bringing the nation's tally to four gold, 17 silver, and 18 bronze medals.

ANI