New Delhi, Nov 13 (IANS) Esha Singh and Manu Bhaker are in strong contention for a place in the final of the women’s 25m Sport Pistol event at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Championship Rifle/Pistol 2025, currently underway at the Olympic Shooting Range in Cairo, Egypt, on Thursday.

After the completion of the Precision Stage on Thursday, Esha stands fourth while Manu is placed seventh in the lineup of 85 shooters.

Olympian Esha shot 294-11x (98, 97, 99) while double Olympic medallist Manu shot 292-11x (98, 96, 98) to keep herself within striking distance of the leaders. The third Indian in the fray, Rahi Sarnobat, is currently placed 56th with 284-7x (95, 96, 93).

Currently leading the qualification is Turkey’s Sevval Ilayda Tarhan, who was flawless with a near-perfect 299-12x (100, 100, 99), followed by Paris Olympic silver medalist Camille Jedrzejewski of France (98, 99, 98) and Iran’s Haniyeh Rostamiyan (99, 99, 97), both with 295-13x, the French shooter taking second place on countback.

Iran’s Golnoush Sebghatollahi and Mina Ghorbani are placed fifth and sixth, respectively, both with 292-13x, while Lin Jou-Yu of Chinese Taipei completes the top eight with 292-9x (97, 97, 98).

The top eight shooters after the completion of the qualification rounds will advance to the medal round. The Rapid stage will take place tomorrow, followed by the final scheduled for Friday (Nov 14, 2025) at 4:30 PM IST.

India is currently placed second behind China in the medal tally with three gold, five silver, and three bronze medals, while China leads with eight golds and a total of 15 medals.

Earlier, Manu Bhaker and Esha Singh endured heartbreak in the women’s 10m air pistol final at the ISSF World Championships on Monday, both missing out on individual medals after promising starts.

Manu Bhaker, who had earlier won bronze medals in the individual and mixed team events at the Paris Olympics, appeared in control of the final before a costly 8.8 on her 14th shot saw her plummet from first place to seventh. She finished with a score of 139.5.

Esha Singh, the multiple Asian Games medallist who recently won World Cup gold in Ningbo, China, also faltered in the decisive phase. The 20-year-old shot a poor 8.4 on her 14th attempt after a superb 10.7, finishing sixth in the eight-shooter final.

–IANS

bsk/ab