Esha Singh Wins Silver After Dramatic Shoot-Off in Asian Games 25m Pistol Final

Esha Singh came within one final sequence of winning gold, but an extraordinary shoot-off ultimately left the Indian shooter with silver in the women's 25m pistol final at the Asian Games 2026.

In a final that repeatedly swung between the two leading shooters, Esha and China's Xiao Jiaruixuan finished level at 38 hits, equalling the Games Record. Neither could be separated in the first shoot-off, forcing another five-shot decider. This time, Xiao held her nerve. The Chinese shooter eventually prevailed, while Esha secured silver in one of the most dramatic pistol finals of the competition.

For Esha, the result is nevertheless a significant achievement. She entered the final as the qualification survivor, having squeezed into the top eight on countback, and left with an Asian Games silver medal.

Esha's final began brilliantly. She produced a perfect 5/5 in the opening series to immediately establish herself at the top of the standings. North Korea's Kim Hyon Suk followed with four hits, while Xiao was also among the leading contenders. Esha then recorded four hits in her second series. Her total reached nine, keeping her at the top of the leaderboard.

The third series brought the first setback. Esha missed twice, finishing with two hits from five attempts. Her total moved to 12, dropping her behind Xiao, who took the lead with 13. Kim remained close behind on 11. At that point, the final was already developing into a contest of small margins.

The elimination phase produced several dramatic swings. Esha opened the second stage with four hits and moved back to the top alongside Xiao. She then produced another strong series, reaching 20 hits and remaining level with Xiao and North Korea's Kim. A difficult series followed, however, with Esha missing twice. She dropped to joint third on 23 hits, while Xiao moved to 25 and Kim to 24.

The Indian shooter responded when the pressure increased. Esha produced a perfect five in the next series, while Vietnam's Thu Vinh Trinh managed only two. Trinh was eliminated, while Esha moved back into medal position. A medal was now guaranteed.

But Esha wanted more.

With the final reduced to the leading shooters, every shot carried enormous weight. Esha and Kim found themselves tied at 34 hits, while Xiao led on 35.

The next sequence produced another extraordinary twist. Esha and Kim both recorded three hits in the five-shot series, meaning they remained level and needed a shoot-off to determine who would advance to the gold-medal contest. 

The first shoot-off saw Esha record: Hit, Hit, Miss, Hit, Miss.

Kim responded with: Hit, Miss, Hit, Miss, Hit.

Neither athlete could be separated. Another shoot-off was required. The pressure was already enormous, and the competition was briefly interrupted by a technical issue before the final shot of one sequence. Esha needed to hit to ensure progression regardless of Kim's result.

She missed. Kim hit. Yet even that was not the end. A third shoot-off followed.

This time Esha produced Miss, Hit, Hit, Miss, Hit, while Kim could only manage Miss, Miss, Miss, Hit, Miss.

Esha finally prevailed and earned her place in the gold-medal contest against Xiao. The gold-medal contest was equally dramatic. Esha trailed Xiao by a single hit heading into the final five shots. The Chinese shooter had 35 hits, while Esha was on 34. The final sequence began with everything still to play for.

Esha recorded: Miss, Hit, Hit, Hit, Hit.

Xiao responded with: Hit, Miss, Miss, Hit, Miss.

The result was remarkable. Both shooters finished the final on 38 hits, meaning they equalled the Games Record. With the scores level, another shoot-off was required to determine the gold medallist.

The first gold-medal shoot-off again produced no separation.

Esha shot: Hit, Miss, Hit, Hit, Hit.

Xiao answered: Hit, Hit, Miss, Hit, Hit.

Both finished with four hits. Another shoot-off was needed. By this point, the final had become a battle of concentration as much as shooting ability.

Esha's next sequence was: Miss, Hit, Hit, Miss, Miss.

Xiao responded: Hit, Miss, Hit, Miss, Hit.

The Chinese shooter finished with three hits against Esha's two. That was enough. Xiao Jiaruixuan took gold, while Esha Singh secured silver.

From eighth in qualification to Asian Games silver

Esha's medal is particularly notable because of how close she came to missing the final altogether. She qualified in eighth place after finishing qualification with 580 points, edging Chinese Taipei's Cheng Yen-Ching on the number of bulls-eyes. She then transformed that narrow qualification into a medal-winning performance. Esha also became the only Indian shooter to reach the individual final in the event after Manu Bhaker finished 11th and Rahi Sarnobat ended 30th.

The silver therefore represents a major turnaround from a qualification round in which India's team medal hopes had already disappeared. For Esha, the final was different. She repeatedly responded to setbacks, survived multiple shoot-offs and eventually pushed the eventual champion all the way to the final shot.

The gold went to Xiao, but Esha leaves the Asian Games with a silver medal and a performance that will stand out for its composure, resilience and sheer drama. In a final decided by fractions of the margin, Esha Singh was just one shoot-off away from the top step of the podium.