Shooting World Cup Munich: Suruchi defends her gold, Esha wins silver as India rises to top of the tally
New Delhi, May 29
It was double delight for India on competition day four of the International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup Rifle/Pistol leg in Munich, as Suruchi Inder Singh struck gold and Esha Singh silver in the women's 10m air pistol, helping them rise to the top of the medal tally.
Suruchi shot 242.1 to defend the gold she won last year at the Olympic Shooting range, while her senior teammate shot 241.2 to settle for silver. Korean Choo Gaeun won bronze.
India now has two gold and one silver at the year's second ISSF World Cup leg, with the two mixed events in rifle and pistol, left to be played on Saturday (May 30, 2026).
Earlier in the day, the duo just about made the final, claiming the last two qualification spots. Both shot 578, pipping the reigning Olympic champion Oh Yejin by a point. Choo topped the field with a 583, while London Olympics silver medalist Celine Goberville of France and Bulgarian Miroslava Mincheva (580), the reigning European champion and winner of the bronze medal in the 25m pistol two days back, were among the others to go through.
Suruchi had a slower start compared to Esha, coming in at fifth after the first series of five single shots. Esha was third behind Celine and Choo at this stage. As the final warmed up, Suruchi began finding her range, Esha and Celine were blowing hot and cold, and Choo was threatening to pull away.
At the end of the 14th, Suruchi, with three straight scores above 10, was challenging Choo for gold. Celine and Esha had weakened to fourth and fifth.
The 15th and 16th were the most dramatic, with Celine and Esha coming up to joint third first and then Celine bowing out in sixth as the two Indians got up to medal position behind Choo.
The pressure then got to Choo as Suruchi and Esha were hardly missing the 10-ring. Suruchi overtook her after the 19th, and Esha ensured she took bronze after the 20th.
Esha had 1.2 to make up on Suruchi over the last two shots. That became 1.3 before the 24th and final shot, and despite a 10.7 from Esha, Suruchi's 10.3 would help her defend her Munich gold comfortably. "I don't have any pressure, anytime," said the youngster, after claiming a fourth World Cup and fifth ISSF gold in two years.
Esha too won a creditable second medal in the competition, after winning gold in the women's 25m pistol with a world record score on Wednesday.
Tomar disqualified for weapon discrepancies
In two other men's events on the roster, India missed out, one in very unfortunate circumstances. In the men's 50m rifle 3 positions (3P), Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar shot a 592 to qualify in sixth place, but was disqualified after his weapon was deemed to have discrepancies in dimensions in a random post-competition check. Rudrankksh Patil shot 585 to finish 53rd.
In the men's 25m rapid-fire pistol, Anish's effort of 577 fetched him 27th spot. Teammates Udhayveer Sidhu (574) and Suraj Sharma (574) were further back in 37th and 39th positions.
— IANS
Reader Comments
So proud of our girls! Suruchi's calmness under pressure is remarkable—she said "I don't have any pressure, anytime" after winning. That's the mindset of a champion! And Esha showing consistency with two medals in one competition. Only wish we had better luck in men's events. Tomar's case is especially sad—10th place qualifier disqualified over equipment dimensions? That's a harsh lesson for our shooters to double-check everything. Still, India dominating a World Cup in Europe is a huge achievement. Kudos to the entire shooting contingent! 🎯
Fantastic results but I'm concerned about the men's 3P disqualification. Tomar shooting 592 in qualification is world-class, then to be thrown out for "weapon discrepancies in dimensions" in a random check? That's a serious issue—either our equipment standards don't meet ISSF regulations or there's negligence. We need better oversight from NRAI or this will keep happening at major events. On the positive side, Suruchi and Esha are showing the world that Indian women shooters are a force to reckon with. Two golds and a silver so far is brilliant.
Yaar, what a comeback from Suruchi in the final! She was 5th after the first series and then just kept climbing. That's the mark of a true champion. And Esha—two medals in one World Cup, including a world record in 25m pistol?! She's on fire! 🔥 The way they handled pressure when Choo was threatening to pull away shows great mental strength. This is how you build a strong contingent for the Olympics. If our shooters maintain this form, Paris 2024 is going to be special. Just need to sort out the men's equipment issues.
R Rohit P Great to We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.