India coach Ronak Pandit: ‘This performance is unpardonable’ after 10m air pistol disappointment

Esha Singh finished 15th in the qualifying round in women’s 10m air pistol. | Photo Credit: R.V. MOORTHY

What was expected to be India’s golden day at the shooting range turned into a nightmare, with two of the country’s biggest medal hopes stumbling, fumbling and faltering in the qualification round, shooting scores low enough to miss out on a medal as a team as well. On the flip side, the skeet shooters made up for the disappointment in pistol, ensuring the day did not end medal-less for India.

The women’s 10m air pistol has been one of the most reliable medal events for India over the past few years, including a gold-silver double in the previous edition. On Wednesday, the silver medallist from Hangzhou, Esha Singh, finished 15th in the qualifying round, while Suruchi Singh, who has been on a roll over the last 18 months, finished further down at 26th.

“There is pressure for everyone but this performance is unpardonable. It’s not like the other countries have any advantage. There is no point in pointing fingers at any individual but overall this was not what we expected, what they are capable of and what should have happened,” India’s pistol and High Performance Coach Ronak Pandit told Sportstar, mincing no words on the outing.

“Pressure is what you have been training for all these years. It’s there everytime you go out to represent the country, regardless of the competition. But with what we have been shooting not just in training but also in competitions over the last two years, these scores are not acceptable. I have always said that a medal is not in our control, performances are. If you shoot 595 and there are 10 shooters scoring higher, that’s bad luck. But scoring 560s-570s is not just inexcusable, it’s insufficient to even dream of a medal,” he added.

Together, the Indian trio, including Manu Bhaker, managed 1719 points with 44 inner 10s, losing out on a bronze to Vietnam by two inner 10s. “The gold for China in team came with 1735 points, something that is par for us at other times even with average shooting. There will definitely be a detailed debriefing to figure out what happened but I really hope this comes as a reality check for the youngsters who might have believed they were unbeatable. Sports has a way of humbling anyone who takes it for granted,” he signed off.

Published on Sep 23, 2026

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