India’s Esha Singh won gold at the World Championships in Munich with a world record in the 25m pistol
India’s Esha Singh produced one of the best performances of her young shooting career after winning the women’s 25m pistol gold at the ISSF World Cup in Munich in a stunning world record. The 21-year-old Asian champion finished with 43 hits from 50 in the final, setting a new world record at both senior and junior levels.
Competing in a packed final that included reigning Olympic champion Yang Ji-in, Esha held her nerve superbly in the knockout stages before exiting the field with remarkable consistency.
Her gold also marked India’s first individual shooting medal of the ISSF World Cup season in the rifle, pistol and shotgun events.
Esha’s dominant performance in Munich also secured her direct qualification for the ISSF World Cup Finals, which are scheduled to be held in Rome later this year.
Former world champion Doreen Vennekamp settled for silver with 38 hits, while Bulgaria’s Miroslava Mincheva took bronze after finishing with 31.
Even business tycoon Anand Mahindra was impressed with the Indian shooter’s success and praised Esha after her historic performance in Germany.
ESHA SINGH BREAKS WORLD RECORD IN FINAL
Esha entered the final after finishing fifth in the qualifier with an overall score of 587-19x, scoring 293 in accuracy and 294 in rapid fire.
But once the medal round started, the Indian shooter looked completely shut down.
She opened the finals with three consecutive perfect runs and immediately created separation from the rest of the field. While several experienced names struggled with consistency under pressure, Esha maintained clean sheets in the knockout stages.
Esha Singh fired a world record 43 to clinch gold in the women’s 25m pistol event at the ISSF World Championships in Munich.
There are many videos of the winning moment.
I like this one because her eyes are like lasers. Unwavering. Unforgiving. You don’t want to enter it pic.twitter.com/G0eShJ4sMu— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) May 28, 2026
Her score of 43 ended up being the new world record in the women’s 25m pistol at both the junior and senior levels.
The quality of the pitch made the achievement even more impressive.
Paris Olympic gold medalist Yang Ji-in topped the qualifier with a massive 592-28x, but was unable to maintain the same rhythm in the final, finishing fifth after missing 13 of 35 shots.
Meanwhile, Germany’s Doreen Vennekamp, backed by the home crowd in Munich, tried to stay close to Esh during the latter stages of the final but ended up five shots behind the Indian shooter.
INDIAN SHOOTING SEASON OFFERS
Esha’s gold also continued India’s encouraging run across ISSF World Cup events this season.
Earlier, Mukesh Nelavalli and Palak Gulia won gold in the mixed team 10m air pistol event at the World Cup in Granada, while Vivaan Kapoor and Neeru Dhanda secured bronze in the mixed team trap in Almaty.
However, Esha’s triumph in Munich became India’s first individual gold medal of the season.
There was disappointment in action for some other Indian shooters. Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker narrowly missed the final after finishing 12th in qualifying 582-19x, while veteran Rahi Sarnobat finished 14th.
Esha will now continue her Munich campaign in the women’s 10m air pistol alongside Manu Bhaker.
At just 21, the shooter from Hyderabad has medals from the Asian Games and World Championships to her credit. But with a world record added to the list, Munich could become one of the defining moments in her rise to become one of India’s biggest shooting stars.
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Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
28 May 2026 15:32 IST