Esha Singh ended India’s medal drought at the ISSF World Cup in Ningbo, China, with a sensational performance, clinching her first-ever individual gold in the Women’s 10m Air Pistol on Saturday.
The 20-year-old held her nerve in a nail-biting final, edging local favourite Yao Qianxun by just one-tenth of a point, 242.6 to 242.5. The title came down to the very last shot, where Esha delivered a composed 10.5 against Yao’s 10.4, while Korea’s Olympic record holder Oh Yejin secured bronze.
The triumph underlined Esha’s ability to rise from difficult starts. Both she and compatriot Rhythm Sangwan had only just scraped into the final, qualifying ninth and tenth with identical scores of 578. Palak, another Indian, topped qualification but was competing for Ranking Points Only (RPO).
While Rhythm eventually finished fifth, it was Esha who stole the spotlight, overturning her modest qualifying position with the finest performance of her career.
This breakthrough victory is particularly significant for the Olympian, who has now secured her second World Cup medal of the year, following a silver in the 25m Pistol at Buenos Aires earlier in 2025. She had also won silver in the 10m Air Pistol at the Cairo World Cup in 2022. Ningbo, however, finally delivered the long-awaited gold.
Esha’s triumph also capped a remarkable season for India in Women’s 10m Air Pistol, completing a clean sweep of all four World Cup golds in 2025. Suruchi Singh had captured the first three titles in Buenos Aires, Lima and Munich, before Esha added the crowning jewel in Ningbo.