New Delhi: Indian shooter Esha Singh scripted history at the ISSF World Cup in Munich after clinching gold in the women’s 25 metre pistol event with a stunning world record performance.
The 21 year old shooter became the first athlete in the event’s history to score 43 points in the final, surpassing the previous world record mark of 42. Her dominant display also opened India’s medal account at the Munich World Cup on the second day of competition at the Olympic Shooting Range.
Esha delivered an exceptional performance in the final, recording perfect scores of five in five out of the ten series. Her consistency and composure helped her finish comfortably ahead of home favourite and former world champion Doreen Vennekamp, who secured the silver medal after trailing by five shots.
Miroslava Mincheva of Bulgaria claimed the bronze medal, while reigning Olympic champion Yang Jiin exited the competition in fifth place.
The gold medal marked Esha’s fourth individual medal at the ISSF World Cup level and further strengthened her growing reputation as one of India’s top shooting talents. The shooter had earlier won a silver medal at the 2022 Asian Games.
After the event, Esha described the victory as especially meaningful because of the high level of competition traditionally seen in Munich, particularly in pistol events. She said even qualifying for the final round in Munich is extremely difficult and admitted that she was nervous during the final despite her composed performance.
Esha qualified for the medal round after finishing fourth overall with a combined score of 587. She shot 293 in the precision round before adding 294 in the rapid fire qualification stage.
India’s historic start in Munich has raised hopes for a strong overall campaign as several leading Indian shooters continue their participation in the prestigious international tournament.
