Esha Singh clinched gold in the women’s 25m pistol category with a world record score of 43 on the second day of the ISSF World Cup in Munich. In the final, the three-time world championship medallist shot perfect fives in half of the 10 series of five shots as home favourite Doreen Vennekamp had to settle for silver. Meanwhile, Bulgaria’s Miroslava Mincheva got bronze. Meanwhile, reigning Olympic champion Yang Jiin finished in fifth position.
Esha’s victory was also India’s first medal at the Munich World Cup. It is her fourth individual World Cup medal.
Also Read: Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh miss out on 10m air pistol medal in ISSF World Championships
Speaking to the media, she said, “Munich meant a lot to me. Everyone knows the kind of competition that goes on here, especially in pistol. I mean even getting into the top eight is very tight. I really wanted to win this as this was my third time here.”
“I am really grateful and loved the experience. I just focused on myself, my process and the things I did in training and it just paid off.”
‘I wasn’t calm at all’: Esha Singh
Revealing that she was nervous in the final, she claimed, “I wasn’t calm at all. At one time when trying to hear the command I could almost feel my left hand shaking. I had a lot of nerves but in our sport you can’t escape that. You have to face it and embrace it and that is what experience is all about.”
She fired a 294 in the rapid-fire round of qualification, complementing her 293 in the precision round as she got the fourth qualifying spot with a score of 587.
She was in hot form in the final, getting three perfect fives in the first three series, which increased the distance between her and the rest of the playing field.
Esha did miss the first of her fourth series, but was still four points clear of second-placed Doreen. The sixth and eighth series were fives, and the world record was in sight with the medal assured. She ended with a four and a three, beating the 42 set by Korean shooter Kim Yeji in Baku two years ago by one hit. She also broke the junior world record of 41, set by Yang Jiin.
Meanwhile, Manu Bhaker and Rahi Sarnobat bagged scores of 582 and 581, managing 12th and 14th positions respectively. Also, Ashi Chouksey failed to reach the finals of the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions event by a one-point margin.
