For Esha, the weight of this one was immediate. “Definitely, World Championship is a very special medal for me. I think it could be my highest achievement until this point,” she said, reflecting on a field stacked with the strongest shooters from across the globe.

The 20-year-old spoke about arriving prepared for a higher level of competition, feeling the pressure that comes with it, and still finding the clarity to shoot her highest qualification score of the season. “Surpassing that pressure and giving my absolute best performance is definitely a special win to me… Overall I’m very grateful and happy about it,” she added.

The significance, she admitted, isn’t lost on her. “I think World Championship, of course, it’s a very heartfelt moment and I am very grateful that I’m the first one to get this medal in the women’s category,” she said.

Howevver, she prefers to keep it grounded, not letting the milestone weigh on her daily rhythm. “It does come with some prestige, but I think I like to keep myself grounded and humble… I will take this as just another experience in my bucket that has helped me build up,” she added.

Her week in Cairo had another podium as well. Teaming with Samrat Rana, she took silver in the 10m air pistol mixed team event after a 10–16 finish against China’s Qianxun Yao and Kai Hu. The load of the season has come from playing two events, a balance she has managed long enough to understand its toll.

“It’s not easy balancing 10 and 25… the feel is different, the weight is different, the intensity is very very different,” she said. Long competition days, continuous switching, and the mental drain are all part of the routine now. But the overlap helps, and so does the experience. “It takes a lot of endurance, mental endurance… I’ve just built it up over the years and I’m grateful for all the experiences I’ve had because they’re helping me perform now,” she concluded.