Esha Singh clinched the gold medal while Manu Bhaker secured bronze in the women’s 25m pistol event, helping India register a double podium finish at the ISSF World Cup 2026 in Hangzhou, China, on Monday.
The 21-year-old Esha Singh dominated the final with 40 hits to finish comfortably ahead of China’s Zhang Yueyue, who settled for silver with 37 hits.
Two-time Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker completed India’s medal haul by winning a crucial shoot-off before finishing with a score of 28 to claim bronze. The victory in Hangzhou marked Esha Singh’s second ISSF World Cup gold medal of the season, having also won the women’s 25m pistol title at the Munich World Cup in May. She had also claimed silver in the 10m air pistol event at the same competition.
For Bhaker, the bronze was her first individual medal of the season. Her only previous podium finish in 2026 had come in the women’s 10m air pistol team event at the Munich World Cup. Earlier in qualification, the double Olympic-medallist progressed to the final after finishing sixth with a score of 586-20x, while Esha Singh qualified eighth with 585-18x.
Olympian Rahi Sarnobat, Simranpreet Kaur Brar and Abhidnya Ashok Patil also competed in the women’s 25m pistol event but were unable to progress beyond the qualification stage
Manu Bhaker reflects on bronze medal, Esha Singh continues stellar season
Despite missing out on the gold medal, Manu Bhaker believes the bronze was about much more than adding another medal to her collection. The Paris Olympic bronze medallist said the competition gave her valuable insight ahead of a packed international season.
“This medal is very important because it acts as a stepping stone. It gives me clarity on what is working and the direction I want to head in,” she said. Looking ahead, the 24-year-old said the experience of competing in a high-pressure final would be even more beneficial than the result itself. “While the medal surely boosts my confidence, the experience I gained from this competitive match will help even more as we look ahead to major assignments like the World Championships and Asian Games,” she stated.
Meanwhile, Esha Singh’s gold medal continued her outstanding run this season following her record-breaking performance in Munich, while Manu added another World Cup podium finish as both shooters look to build momentum ahead of the World Championships and the Asian Games.