Two years after winning twin silver medals in the 10m Air Pistol and 25m Pistol events at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, 20-year-old Esha Singh clinched her first ISSF World Cup medal in the women’s 25m Pistol final at the ISSF World Cup in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
In a field featuring top contenders like Paris Olympics 10m air pistol bronze medallist Manu Bhaker, and Paris Olympics 25m Pistol bronze medallist Veronika Major, Esha held her nerve. She recovered from seventh place after the first series in the final to finish second behind China’s Yujie Sun, kicking off the 2025 international season with a World Cup silver.
The Hyderabad native had a quick conversation with her father after the medal ceremony and was eager to share what she had told him before the event.
“I had told my father that his daughter would win a medal in Argentina, and that’s exactly what I did today. Of course, winning a World Cup medal is always special, but starting the season with a silver makes it even more meaningful,” Esha told The Indian Express from Argentina.
The Asian Games silver medallist had originally secured the Olympic quota for India in the 10m event. However, following Olympic trials, she was selected to represent India in the 25m Pistol event at the Paris Olympics. Esha began competing in the 25m event three years ago under the guidance of coaches Ved Prakash Pilania and Raunak Pandit.
While the 10m and 25m pistol events share similarities, there are also distinct technical differences. Coach Pilania recalls how Esha transitioned with ease. “Esha’s biggest strengths are her natural posture and mental toughness. As a 10m air pistol shooter, she would train with 150–160 shots daily and displayed what we call a natural shooting technique. Even at age 11, she had excellent control. When she began taking the 25m event seriously, her experience in 10m really helped,” Pilania said.
Many shooters, including Manu Bhaker, have competed in both events. The 25m pistol requires a trigger weight of 1000g compared to 500g in air pistol, features a shorter barrel and front sight, and has a different grip altogether.
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“When Esha decided to take up the 25m event seriously, it meant we had to arrange for a new pistol and ammunition. I used to joke with her, saying that if she wanted to compete in both events, she’d have to balance her efforts and not treat either as a ‘backup’ option. And she did exactly that — she gave both events equal focus. Sometimes it was 60–40, other times it was the opposite. That balance has helped her a lot over the past three years,” said her father, Sachin Singh.
Over the last three years, Esha regularly competed in domestic trials and international events in both events. Coach Pilania credits Esha’s dedication to both events for her strong showing in Buenos Aires.
“Esha has a lean build, which works in her favor in air pistol. But the 25m pistol demands more strength. So I made sure she practiced 150 air pistol shots five days a week, and about 100–120 shots in 25m every day. In recent months, we also worked on improving her trigger movement and adjusted her leg stance in the 25m event,” Pilania added.
On Saturday, Esha qualified for the final by finishing ninth in qualification, with two shooters ahead of her competing under RPO (Ranking Points Only). In the final, Bhaker initially led alongside China’s Yujie Sun and Sixuan Feng, while Esha struggled early on. However, as Bhaker faltered and exited in sixth place after a shoot-off, Esha surged up the leaderboard, missing only two of her final 25 shots across the last five series. She finished with a score of 35, just behind gold medalist Yujie Sun.
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“The weather here is very cold and windy, which affected my trigger control in the beginning. But after the second series, I took a few blank shots between rounds to regain balance and control over my hand and trigger movement — and it worked. I’ve never viewed competing against the Chinese as pressure. Winning silver alongside two Chinese shooters and a competitor like Paris bronze medallist Veronika Major is a special moment,” said Esha.