India’s Palak Gulia and Esha Singh Clinch Gold and Silver, Defeating Pakistan’s Kishmala in Women’s 10m Air Pistol at Asian Games

In a spirited competition at the Asian Games, Indian shooters Palak Gulia and Esha Singh engaged in a thrilling contest against Pakistan’s Kishmala Talat in the Women’s 10m Air Pistol Individual Final, ultimately claiming gold and silver, respectively.

During the Qualifying stage, Palak qualified in the seventh position out of eight participants, while Esha secured the fifth spot, and Kishmala placed third. Chinese shooters Nan Zhao and Ranxin Jiang set new Asian Games records in the Qualifying stage, each scoring 581. Palak achieved a score of 577, Esha scored 579, and the Pakistani shooter notched up a score of 580.

However, in the final showdown, the Indian shooters displayed remarkable prowess, overtaking their rivals to secure the gold and silver medals. Palak Gulia clinched the gold, and Esha Singh earned the silver, while the Pakistani shooter held on to secure the bronze medal.

Palak achieved an Asian Games record in the final with a score of 242.1, whereas Esha scored 239.7, and Kishmala recorded 218.2.

Throughout the final, the two Indian shooters demonstrated exceptional performance, while the Chinese shooters gradually faded from contention, falling out of medal contention after the initial two rounds of five shots each.

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After the first five shots, Esha swiftly ascended to second place, amassing a score of 50.8, with Hong Kong’s Ho Ching Shing leading with 50.9.

In the second series, Palak scored 50.8, and Esha contributed 50.2, propelling them into the lead. Shing from Hong Kong, China, struggled with scores of 8.1 and 8.2, accumulating a total of 44.8 and falling behind.

From that point forward, the Indian shooters maintained their positions in the top two spots. Shing from Hong Kong was the first to be eliminated, followed by China’s Nan Zhao. Vietnam’s Thu Vinh Trinh, China’s Ranxin Jiang, and Chinese Taipei’s Wu Chiaying were also eliminated.

Ultimately, the competition boiled down to Esha and Kishmala, with the Indian shooter outperforming her Pakistani counterpart. Kishmala recorded scores of 9.3 and 9.0 in the final series, succumbing to the pressure and finishing in third place.

Esha, known for her ability to climb the rankings during finals, scored a couple of 9.5s in the final two series, securing the second position behind her compatriot.

-IANS