‘Call It God’s Grace’: Esha Singh Says Breaks Helped Her Win Asian Games Silver

As the women’s 25m pistol final stretched into a tense series of shoot-offs, Esha Singh’s hand began to tire and tighten. Then technical problems interrupted the contest twice. For the Indian shooter, those breaks brought unexpected relief on her way to an Asian Games silver medal.

“Maybe call it God’s grace that it was meant to happen,” Esha told ANI after Monday’s final in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

She finished behind China’s Xiao Jiaruixian after a contest that required repeated shoot-offs to settle the medals.

When the Interruptions Helped

Technical stoppages can disrupt a shooter’s rhythm. Esha, however, said the breaks helped her manage the physical strain of the final.

“In my case, it was very helpful, because my hand was getting unexpectedly tired and very tight towards the match,” she said.

“I think if it wasn’t for those breaks and those errors that happened, maybe it looked like breaking my zone, but it actually helped me.”

The interruptions came during the shoot-off proceedings, adding another complication to an already demanding medal contest.

Gold Decided by One Hit

Esha finished with 38 points and prevailed over North Korea’s Kim Hyon Suk in a shoot-off that settled the silver and bronze positions before taking on Xiao for gold.

The first gold-medal shoot-off failed to separate the two, forcing another five-shot contest. Xiao hit three targets to Esha’s two to claim the title.

Esha acknowledged that the final had unfolded very differently from what she had expected.

“I gave quite a show to the audience,” she said. “I had to really strive and linger for the medal, but I think this was meant to be memorable, and that is why it went like that.”

Despite the strain and the narrow defeat, she found satisfaction in the experience.

“But I’m really grateful for the experience. Looking back, I think I had fun.”

Next Up: A Meal With Her Coach

With the medal secured, Esha’s attention turned to celebrating with her coach, Raunak.

“We’re going to go for a really good meal—me and my coach, Raunak sir. We are big-time foodies, so we’re going to go and have a lavish meal,” she said.

(With inputs from ANI)