GUWAHATI: India registered a double podium finish in the women’s 25m pistol event at the ISSF World Cup 2026 in Hangzhou, China, on Monday, July 27 with Esha Singh clinching the gold medal and Manu Bhaker claiming bronze.
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The 21-year-old Esha Singh delivered a commanding performance in the final, recording 40 hits to finish ahead of China’s Zhang Yueyue, who settled for silver with 37 hits.
Two-time Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker secured the bronze after prevailing in a crucial shoot-off before finishing with a score of 28.
The victory marked Esha Singh’s second ISSF World Cup gold medal of the season. She had earlier won the women’s 25m pistol title at the Munich World Cup in May and also secured silver in the 10m air pistol event at the same competition.
For Manu Bhaker, the bronze was her first individual medal of the 2026 ISSF World Cup season. Her only previous podium finish this year came in the women’s 10m air pistol team event in Munich.
Earlier in the competition, Manu qualified for the final after finishing sixth in the qualification round with 586-20x, while Esha advanced in eighth place with 585-18x.
Indian shooters Rahi Sarnobat, Simranpreet Kaur Brar and Abhidnya Ashok Patil also competed in the women’s 25m pistol event but did not qualify for the final.
In the shotgun events, none of the Indian women advanced to the trap final. Bhowneesh Mendiratta was the only Indian shooter to qualify for the men’s trap final after winning a shoot-off following a qualification score of 122. He eventually finished sixth in the final with 11 hits.
With Monday’s results, India’s medal tally at the Hangzhou ISSF World Cup increased to three medals, one gold, one silver and one bronze. The country had earlier opened its account through Sainyam Vij, who won silver in the women’s 10m air pistol event on Friday.
The Hangzhou World Cup, featuring rifle, pistol and shotgun disciplines, concludes on Tuesday. Individual gold medallists from the event will qualify for the ISSF World Cup Final, scheduled to be held in Rome in December.