Esha Singh wins World Cup gold, Manu Bhaker takes bronze in 25m pistol

Indian shooter Esha Singh won the gold medal in the 25m pistol event at the ISSF World Cup in Hangzhou, China, on Monday. The 19-year-old from Hyderabad scored 40 hits in the final, three more than China's Zhang Yueyue, who finished with 37 hits. Manu Bhaker, a double medallist at the Paris Olympics, secured the bronze medal with 28 hits.

This is Singh's second World Cup gold medal of the year and her third overall. She previously won the 25m pistol title at the Munich World Cup in June with a world-record score of 43. Singh also became the first Indian woman to win a World Championships medal in the 25m pistol, taking bronze in Doha last year.

Singh qualified for the final in eighth place, while Bhaker qualified sixth. In the final, Singh started with a perfect series of five hits but missed one shot in each of the next three series. A difficult fifth series, where she missed three shots, brought the chasing pack closer, but she recovered strongly, missing only four shots in the remaining five series to secure the gold.

Bhaker had a slow start, missing six targets in her first three series, but recovered well to claim the bronze medal. Both shooters are competing in the 10m air pistol and 25m pistol events. Singh welcomed the healthy competition within the Indian squad, saying it pushes everyone to improve.

The Hangzhou World Cup serves as a preparation for the World Championships in Doha later this year, where Olympic quota places will be awarded. Singh, who won two silver medals at the Asian Games last year, said competing in two events has helped her become a more complete shooter. She is working with India's high-performance manager Ronak Pandit, who noted that the latest title indicates they are on the right track, though there are areas that need refinement.