New Delhi: Olympian Esha Singh began the new season with a strong statement by winning the women’s 10m air pistol gold at the Asian Shooting Championship on Wednesday.
The 21-year-old produced a composed final to finish with 239.8 points in New Delhi. She held off shooters from Chinese Taipei to secure the top spot, according to the Asian Shooting Confederation.
Cheng Yen-Ching took silver with 235.4, while Yu Ai-Wen claimed bronze with 217.7. India’s Suruchi Singh finished fourth after leading early in the final.
Manu Bhaker, a double bronze medallist at the Paris Olympics, placed seventh after reaching the eight-shooter final.
Esha stayed calm when scores fluctuated across the field. She delivered three shots above 10.4 to pull clear in the closing stages.
In qualification, Suruchi shot 576 to finish second. Manu Bhaker and Esha both scored 575. Manu ranked ahead on inner-10 count.
The Indian trio later combined to win team gold. Suruchi, Manu, and Esha totalled 1,726 points. Vietnam finished second with 1,713, while Chinese Taipei took bronze with 1,711.
In the men’s event, world champion Samrat Rana settled for bronze. He shot 581 in qualification to enter the final in second place.
The 21-year-old scored 220.3 in the medal round. Uzbekistan’s Vladimir Svechnikov won gold, while Kazakhstan’s Valeriy Rakhimzhan took silver.
Sharvan Kumar finished fourth in the final. India claimed team silver with Samrat, Sharvan, and Varun Tomar combining for 1,732 points.
Uzbekistan also finished on 1,732 but won gold on a higher inner-10 count. Kazakhstan secured bronze with 1,731 points.
India has fielded the largest squad at the championship with 118 shooters. Kazakhstan, South Korea, Japan, Chinese Taipei, Vietnam and Hong Kong have also sent strong teams.
