Former mixed team world champion Esha Singh delivered a composed and commanding performance to win her second career Asian Championship gold, as India enjoyed a highly successful opening day at the Asian Rifle/Pistol Championship New Delhi 2026 at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range.
The hosts finished day one at the top of the medal standings, collecting a total of nine medals, including six golds, to underline their strength across senior, junior and youth categories.
Competing in the women’s 10m air pistol final, Esha produced a strong finish to claim gold with a score of 239.8. The Hyderabad shooter, who had previously won the continental title in Jakarta two years ago, showed remarkable composure under pressure. After a cautious start that left her seventh following the first series of five shots, Esha steadily climbed the leaderboard, taking control of the contest after the 19th shot of the 24-shot final. Her consistency in the closing stages proved decisive, allowing her to pull clear of the field.
Chinese Taipei shooters Cheng Yen-Ching and Yu Ai-Wen completed the podium, finishing second and third respectively, but were unable to match Esha’s late surge as the Indian shooter asserted her authority in front of a home crowd.
India’s success continued in the men’s 10m air pistol event, where reigning world champion Samrat Rana secured a bronze medal with a score of 220.3. Gold went to Uzbekistan’s Vladimir Svechnikov, who topped the final with an impressive 242.0, while Kazakhstan’s Valeriy Rakhimzhan claimed silver, finishing just a point behind. Samrat’s podium finish added further momentum to India’s campaign on the opening day.
The team events also brought significant rewards for the hosts. In the women’s 10m air pistol team competition, Esha, Manu Bhaker and Suruchi Singh combined for a total score of 1726 to clinch the gold medal, finishing a comfortable 13 points ahead of Vietnam, who settled for silver. The men’s air pistol team of Samrat Rana, Sharvan Kumar and Varun Tomar added another medal to India’s tally, winning silver in a competitive field.
India’s junior shooters matched the seniors’ excellence. Jonathan Gavin Antony produced an outstanding display in the junior men’s 10m air pistol, winning individual gold with a score of 240.9. He then completed a double-gold day by teaming up with Chirag Sharma and Priyanshu Yadav to secure the junior men’s team title, further strengthening India’s dominance across age groups.
The final event of the day, the men’s youth 10m air pistol competition, saw the hosts deliver a clean sweep. Dhairya Parashar claimed individual gold, with Mandeep Chauhan finishing second to give India a one-two finish. Alongside Girish Gupta, the pair also combined to win the team gold, capping off a near-perfect day for the Indian contingent.
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By the end of day one, India had amassed nine medals, including six golds and two silvers, opening a commanding lead over Uzbekistan at the top of the medal table. With several more events still to come, the hosts have laid down an early marker at the Asian Rifle/Pistol Championship, combining experience, depth and composure to set the tone for the remainder of the competition.
All finals from the championship are being streamed live on the FanCode OTT platform.
