DOHA — Heartbreak struck on the firing line. Indian pistol aces Manu Bhaker and Esha Singh missed out on coveted Los Angeles 2028 Olympic quota places in Doha, faltering in the individual women’s 25m pistol final at the ISSF World Championships despite striking team gold hours earlier.
Manu fought to AirNews but finished fourth, missing the podium by a single elimination margin. Esha bowed out early in eighth. With three Olympic quota berths up for grabs and seven of the eight finalists eligible to claim them, the door stood wide open. Yet neither Indian shooter could lock down the ticket to Los Angeles.
Such margins are cruel. But the setback arrived directly on the heels of a ruthless masterclass in the team event, where Manu, Esha, and Divya Subbaraju dismantled the field to secure the world title with an aggregate score of 1,761 points. South Korea’s Jiin Yang, Yejin Oh, and Dajung Nam chased them home for silver with 1,748 points, while Vietnam gathered 1,745 to settle for bronze.
Esha spearheaded India's charge through the preliminary rounds with a blistering 590 out of 600. She laid a solid foundation with 292 in the Precision stage before torching the target range with 298 in the Rapid section, qualifying for the individual final in third place.
Manu matched that blistering 298 in the Rapid series after shooting 289 in Precision, qualifying sixth on 587. Divya provided vital ballast with 584 (289 Precision, 295 Rapid), sealing the top step of the podium for India by a 13-point margin over the Koreans.
| Shooter | Precision | Rapid | Total Score | Final Position | Quota Earned |\n| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |\n| Esha Singh | 292 | 298 | 590 | 8th | No |\n| Manu Bhaker | 289 | 298 | 587 | 4th | No |\n| Divya Subbaraju | 289 | 295 | 584 | — (Team Only) | — |\n| India (Team Aggregate) | 870 | 891 | 1,761 | Gold (1st) | — |\n| South Korea (Team) | — | — | 1,748 | Silver (2nd) | — |\n| Vietnam (Team) | — | — | 1,745 | Bronze (3rd) | — |
Despite the missed Olympic berths, India's broader squad stacked the podium across rifle and pistol disciplines throughout the championship.
Niveditha Veloor Nair grabbed bronze in the women's 25m standard pistol, while Jaypal Malviya produced a calculated display to take individual silver in the men's 10m air pistol.
The men's 50m pistol unit delivered another world title. Ravinder Singh, Saurabh Chaudhary, and Amanpreet Singh combined to win team gold, with Ravinder doubling his haul by capturing the individual silver medal. In the women’s 10m air rifle team event, the trio of Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar, and Shambhavi Kshirsagar pushed their rivals to AirNews, collecting a team silver medal.
Both Manu and Esha now reset for the upcoming World Cup circuit, where their hunt for official Los Angeles 2028 Olympic berths begins anew.