"Playing five shoot-offs...": Esha Singh's father hails daughter's Asian Games silver effort
Esha Singh's father hails her dramatic silver medal win at the Asian Games after intense shoot-offs and technical disturbances.
In a dramatic display of grit and determination, 21-year-old Indian shooter Esha Singh secured a silver medal in the women's 25m pistol final at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The victory was marked by an intense battle of nerves, featuring multiple shoot-offs that pushed the young athlete to her limits.
A Battle of Nerves and Shoot-offs
The final was a rollercoaster of emotions. Esha Singh started strongly, hitting all five targets in her opening series to take an early lead. However, the competition grew fierce as China's Xiao Jiaruixian surged ahead. After 25 shots, Esha, Xiao, and North Korea's Kim Hyon Suk were all tied at 20 points. Following a series of fluctuations, Esha produced a crucial five-hit series to ensure her place on the podium.
The match reached a fever pitch when Esha and Kim Hyon Suk entered a shoot-off to decide the silver and bronze. After two rounds of ties, Esha managed three hits against Kim's two, clinching the silver. This forced a final, decisive shoot-off against Xiao Jiaruixian. After the regular final and the first shoot-off left them tied at 38 points, Xiao eventually edged out Esha in the final deciding round, hitting three targets to Esha's two.
"Like a Double Gold," says Sachin Singh
Esha's father, Sachin Singh, expressed immense pride in his daughter's performance, describing the achievement as more than just a silver medal. "I feel that for Esha, this is not just a silver; it’s like a double gold for her," he told ANI. "Playing five shoot-offs, shooting 25 extra shots in a match, and playing back-to-back in the same match is really, really a great effort from a 21-year-old kid. It was a fantastic effort from her."
Sachin Singh also extended his gratitude to the Sports Authority of India, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), and the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) for their continued support of the athletes.
Technical Disturbances Impact Performance
Reflecting on the intense match, Sachin Singh highlighted certain technical issues that disrupted the flow of the competition. He noted that two incorrect commands were issued during the event: first, the game was stopped prematurely on the fourth shot, and later, the lights were not turned on after the athletes reloaded their ammunition.
"This kind of disturbance pulls a shooter out of their zone," Sachin Singh explained. "It is a difficult task for a shooter to come back, get into the zone again, and try to recover in those five shots to fight for the next match. This is definitely something that needs to be addressed."
With this silver, India's medal tally at the ongoing Asian Games continues to rise, reaching a total of 39 medals, including four golds, 17 silvers, and 18 bronzes.