India finished fifth in the women’s 25m pistol team event; Esha Singh goes to finals, Manu Bhaker misses out

Esha Singh qualified for the women’s 25m individual pistol final at the 2026 Asian Games, while India finished fifth in the team event. India slipped from second to fifth in the women’s 25m team event at the 2026 Asian Games on Monday, turning a promising start for the shooting contingent into another near miss. However, Esha Singh kept India’s individual medal hopes alive by qualifying for the final.India started the day strongly, trailing leaders China by just one point after the exact stage. But the fast stage proved costly, with Rahi Sarnobat getting off to a disastrous start when she missed the mark in her opening run.India eventually finished with a total score of 1727-56x and dropped to fifth place in the team standings. China won gold with 1743-68x, followed by South Korea (1735-65x), Chinese Taipei (1734-48x) and Vietnam (1732-56x).Esha was India’s top performer, shooting 580-22x to finish eighth and occupy the final qualifying spot. Manu Bhaker finished 11th with 579-18x while Sarnobat was 30th with 568-16x.Asian Games Full coverage|Medal total|ScheduleThe result was yet another example of the fine margins that defined India’s shooting campaign in Aichi-Nagoya. India has had both podium finishes and near misses, with strong starts not always translating into medals.The disappointment will be sharper given India’s record in the same event at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou. Esha won the individual bronze in the 25m pistol while she, Bhaker and Rhythm Sangwan jointly won the team gold.Bhaker, meanwhile, reached the women’s 10m air pistol final at those Games but finished fifth. India also finished fourth in the women’s 10m air pistol team event. The men’s 10m air pistol team also finished fourth, with none of India’s three shooters making it to the individual finals.There was also a place on the podium. Indian shooters collected medals in the air rifle events at the 10 mav men’s and women’s team skeet events, underscoring the contingent’s contrasting achievements so far.There is still a chance for Esh to change the narrative. They now face the final of the women’s 25m individual pistol, with India looking to turn another near miss in the team event into a medal opportunity.