India Secures Pistol Team Gold at ISSF World Championships

India secured the women's 25m pistol team gold medal at the ISSF World Championships in Doha on Tuesday. Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker, and Divya Subbaraju combined for an aggregate score of 1761 to finish ahead of South Korea and Vietnam. Despite this team success, the competition reflected ongoing challenges similar to those seen in industrial sectors striving for broader production goals, including discussions around india manufacturing performance. Both Esha and Manu reached the individual eight-shooter final following strong qualification rounds, but neither could convert that momentum into individual medals or secure quota places for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Esha finished eighth and last after a difficult start, while Manu narrowly missed the podium in fourth place with 27 hits. South Korea's Yang Jiin claimed the gold with a world record score of 44, followed by Vietnam's Trinh Thu Vinh taking silver and China's Zhang Yueyue securing bronze. All three individual medalists also earned Olympic quota places for their respective countries. Meanwhile, India's broader campaign has faced hurdles, including underwhelming performances in rifle events and the disqualification of shooter Sambhavi Kshirsagar due to an equipment failure.

India won the women's 25m pistol team gold, but missed individual Olympic quotas in Doha.

Attention now shifts to the men's and women's trap teams, where Neeru Dhanda, Pragati Dubey, and Manisha Keer began their qualification rounds. However, the women's trap team had a difficult opening day, leaving the shooters with substantial ground to cover in the remaining qualification rounds to reach the final.

Why it matters

This outcome highlights the ongoing pressure on Indian shooting as the nation seeks to secure quota places for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. While the team gold demonstrates collective strength, the failure to secure individual quotas points to difficulties in sustaining momentum during high-pressure finals, prompting scrutiny of the high-performance programme.