Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh And Divya Win Team Gold At 2026 ISSF World Championships

Indian shooters Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh and TS Divya combining to secure the women's 25m pistol team gold medal on Tuesday (October 10) at the 2026 ISSF World Championships in Doha, Qatar. The Indian trio finished third in the team qualification standings with a combined score of 870-26x.

Hungary topped the standings with 873-30x, while the Republic of Korea secured second place with 870-35x.

Esha Singh was India's leading performer, registering 292 points with series scores of 97, 96 and 99 in the precision stage. Manu Bhaker and TS Divya both finished with 289 points. Manu recorded scores of 96, 96 and 97, while Divya shot 97, 98 and 94.

Esha kept herself in contention for an individual medal and a quota place for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after finishing third in the qualification round. The 21-year-old booked her place in the eight-shooter final, which will offer three Olympic quota places.

Manu Bhaker also made the final cut, finishing sixth with 587 points. The Indian shooter had struggled to find her rhythm in the build-up to the World Championships but recovered well to secure a place in the final. Divya, meanwhile, narrowly missed out after finishing 10th.

Germany's Doreen Vennekamp topped the qualification standings with 592 points, equalling the Olympic record, while Hungary's experienced shooter Veronika Major finished second with 591.

India now have an opportunity to add to their tally of Olympic quota places, with both Esha and Manu in contention. The top three finishers in the individual event will secure quota places for their respective countries, meaning India could potentially claim two more if both shooters finish on the podium.

The team gold medal and the presence of two Indian shooters in the individual final offer a timely boost to India's campaign. However, the overall performance has been inconsistent, particularly in the rifle events. The disqualification of rifle shooter Sambhavi Kshirsagar has also added to the concerns surrounding the Indian contingent.

(With PTI Inputs)