File - Esha seemingly had ice in her veins as she beat a world-class field to win the women’s 25m pistol gold at the ISSF World Cup. | Photo Credit: RITU RAJ KONWAR

Esha Singh’s description of shooting makes a challenging discipline seem like child’s play.

“Our sport is very simple, as is the technique. The only thing that goes wrong is when things crumble under pressure. The job is to try and not do that and focus on just one or two points,” the 21-year-old told Sportstar from Munich after a scintillating world record score of 43/50 to take gold in the women’s 25m pistol gold at the ISSF World Cup.

Esha seemingly had ice in her veins as she beat a field that also featured Paris Olympics gold medallist Yang Ji-in and former world champion Doreen Vennekamp.

“I am close friends (with my competitors). I am aware of the big names and what they have achieved. I really can’t do anything about it. That said, I also believe I am one of the top athletes in the finals. I play with that confidence.”

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Esha is not one to be too obsessed with milestones. She knew she wanted to win gold and found out about the world record well after sealing her spot on the podium. That it came at Munich, considered one of the tougher pitstops on the World Cup map, made the win sweeter.

“Munich is a centre point for America and Europe, so everyone can come and compete, and we have almost 100 percent attendance here. The competitive level is very high, and even qualifying for the top-8 is very neck and neck. Just getting to the top eight is an achievement in Munich, I’d say.”

She brushed aside the challenging heat that other shooters alluded to.

“For an Indian, this is not hot at all. I was sweating a bit in the finals, but that was more due to pressure and the fact that I am lifting such a heavy gun. We deal with worse conditions in India. So normal day,” she quipped.

The gold medal also brought with it a berth in the season-ending World Cup Final in Rome. Much like her process, the celebration too was a no-fuss affair, a quiet dinner at a regular haunt in the German city.

Published on May 28, 2026