Nagoya: India added two more medals to its Asian Games tally on Monday as Esha Singh won silver in the women's 25 metre pistol event and Pinky Balhara secured bronze in the women's under 78 kg Kurash competition.
Esha's silver took India's tally to 38 medals before Balhara's bronze raised it to 39, including four gold, 17 silver and 18 bronze medals. India was 12th in the medal standings at the latest count.
Esha finished the women's 25 metre pistol final with 38 hits, level with China's Xiao Jiaruixuan. The gold medal was decided through a shoot off, with Xiao winning the deciding contest to take gold and Esha settling for silver.
Esha had entered the final after finishing eighth in qualification with 580 points and 22 inner tens. She then fought through several shoot offs during the final before securing a place among the medal winners.
The result gave Esha another Asian Games medal in the 25 metre pistol. At the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, she won bronze in the individual event and gold in the team event.
Pinky Balhara also secured a place on the podium after reaching the semifinal of the women's under 78 kg Kurash event.
Balhara defeated South Korea's Lim Garam 3 0 in the quarterfinal to reach the last four. Her campaign ended in the semifinal when she lost 0 5 to South Korea's Mo Sumin.
The semifinal defeat ended Balhara's hopes of reaching the final, but her place in the last four had already assured her of a bronze medal.
The result gave Balhara her second Asian Games medal in Kurash. She won silver in the women's under 52 kg category at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. Kurash made its Asian Games debut at those Games.
Balhara's bronze also gave India its third Asian Games medal in Kurash.
The results came on Day 10 of the Asian Games in Aichi Nagoya. India's campaign continued across several sports, with boxer Lovlina Borgohain also assuring the country of another medal by reaching the semifinal of the women's 75 kg category.
Borgohain defeated South Korea's Seong Suyeon by a unanimous 5 0 decision in the quarterfinal. Her place in the semifinal assured her of a medal, although it was not yet included in India's completed medal tally at the time of the latest count.
India's men's cricket team also advanced to the semifinal after its quarterfinal against Afghanistan was abandoned because of rain. India progressed under the competition rules because it was the higher ranked team.
For Esha, the silver added to her record at the Asian Games and continued her success in the 25 metre pistol event. For Balhara, the bronze marked a return to the podium in Kurash eight years after her silver medal in Jakarta.
The two confirmed medals added to India's total on a busy day of competition as the Indian contingent continued its campaign in Aichi Nagoya.