Yao Qianxun held her nerve to become the world champion after a season of solid shooting so far, winning the women's 10m air pistol title at the 2025 ISSF World Championship Rifle/Pistol in Cairo, Egypt.
The Chinese athlete overhauled Hong Kong's Ho Ching Shing in the final shots on her way to victory. They were joined by Qian Wei on the podium after a tremendous battle for bronze.
Qualification
The continent of Asia has been the standout performers in the event this season, with India winning all four ISSF World Cup legs this year thanks to Suruchi Singh and Esha Singh; while China's team has usually consisted of Qian Wei, Yao Qianxun and Jiang Ranxin, who were all representing their nation in Cairo.
Those expectations from Asian athletes manifested in qualification. Qian, who took silver in Buenos Aires at the start of the season, finished top of the standings on 585, tied with Iran's Haniyeh Rostamiyan - the Olympic finalist last year who finished fourth and fifth at the last two World Championships.
On 584 was Yao - arguably the second-most consistent athlete of the season after Singh. As well as two golds and two silvers in the mixed team event, she has won a silver and two bronze medals in this event on the ISSF World Cup circuit in 2025. Her only podium miss was when she finished fourth in Buenos Aires.
Esha Singh, the ISSF World Cup winner in Ningbo, was level with the defending champion Jiang on 583, while India's Olympic bronze medallist Manu Bhaker and Ho Ching Shing of Hong Kong qualified with a total of 580. The final spot went to Turkey's Sevval Ilayda Tarhan, the Olympic mixed team silver medallist, who denied Austria's Sylvia Steiner by the finest of margins. Both were tied on 579-21x, but Tarhan scored higher in her final series.
The notable absentee was Oh Ye-jin of the Republic of Korea, the Olympic champion. A score of 95 in her last series saw her drop out of contention, finishing 12th. Her teammate and 25m pistol Olympic champion Yang Ji-in was 20th. Hungarians Veronika Major and Sara Fabian just missed out in 10th and 11th too. Suruchi Singh, who had been dominant all season, would struggle in series five and six, dropping her out of contention - ultimately finishing 14th.
The Chinese athlete overhauled Hong Kong's Ho Ching Shing in the final shots on her way to victory. They were joined by Qian Wei on the podium after a tremendous battle for bronze.
Qualification
The continent of Asia has been the standout performers in the event this season, with India winning all four ISSF World Cup legs this year thanks to Suruchi Singh and Esha Singh; while China's team has usually consisted of Qian Wei, Yao Qianxun and Jiang Ranxin, who were all representing their nation in Cairo.
Those expectations from Asian athletes manifested in qualification. Qian, who took silver in Buenos Aires at the start of the season, finished top of the standings on 585, tied with Iran's Haniyeh Rostamiyan - the Olympic finalist last year who finished fourth and fifth at the last two World Championships.
On 584 was Yao - arguably the second-most consistent athlete of the season after Singh. As well as two golds and two silvers in the mixed team event, she has won a silver and two bronze medals in this event on the ISSF World Cup circuit in 2025. Her only podium miss was when she finished fourth in Buenos Aires.
Esha Singh, the ISSF World Cup winner in Ningbo, was level with the defending champion Jiang on 583, while India's Olympic bronze medallist Manu Bhaker and Ho Ching Shing of Hong Kong qualified with a total of 580. The final spot went to Turkey's Sevval Ilayda Tarhan, the Olympic mixed team silver medallist, who denied Austria's Sylvia Steiner by the finest of margins. Both were tied on 579-21x, but Tarhan scored higher in her final series.
The notable absentee was Oh Ye-jin of the Republic of Korea, the Olympic champion. A score of 95 in her last series saw her drop out of contention, finishing 12th. Her teammate and 25m pistol Olympic champion Yang Ji-in was 20th. Hungarians Veronika Major and Sara Fabian just missed out in 10th and 11th too. Suruchi Singh, who had been dominant all season, would struggle in series five and six, dropping her out of contention - ultimately finishing 14th.
The Final
Despite being the final qualifier, the early pace was set by Sevval Ilayda Tarhan, who recorded two 10.6s for an early lead. But nothing sums up the unpredictability of pistol like her next five shots, which included three under 10, including a 10.1. She went from leading by over one point, to joint-second with Ho Ching Shing.
They were just behind Yao Qianxun who had a reverse fortune midway through the first competition stage. She sat far off the pace in sixth, but scored 10 and above in the following five to move up. For Haniyeh Rostamiyan, it was the worst possible start. She scored 7.8 in her opening shot, but showed incredible character to follow up with a 10.9, adding a 10.8 two shots later. Sitting last after five shots, she pulled herself back up and into sixth place as the athletes got ready for the eliminations.
By this point, the defending champion was in trouble. Jiang scored 9.5 and below in four of her opening 10 shots and had to pull out a magnificent result to stay in contention. Two sub-10 shots could not close the gap to Esha Singh, who pushed towards her opponents. At this stage, just 1.1 separated the whole field, led by Yao, with Rostamiyan incredibly moving into joint-second after that difficult start.
Singh had an incredible series, scoring 10.3 and 10.6 to bridge the gap to her opponents. Her compatriot Manu Bhaker, was looking safe too after a 10.7 with her first shot, but an 8.8 would undo that great shooting, seeing her fall 0.4 behind Tarhan in seventh place. Just as Singh was looking like a threat for the title, she too would score low with an 8.4 and was eliminated in sixth. All of a sudden, India were out of the competition.
Despite being the final qualifier, the early pace was set by Sevval Ilayda Tarhan, who recorded two 10.6s for an early lead. But nothing sums up the unpredictability of pistol like her next five shots, which included three under 10, including a 10.1. She went from leading by over one point, to joint-second with Ho Ching Shing.
They were just behind Yao Qianxun who had a reverse fortune midway through the first competition stage. She sat far off the pace in sixth, but scored 10 and above in the following five to move up. For Haniyeh Rostamiyan, it was the worst possible start. She scored 7.8 in her opening shot, but showed incredible character to follow up with a 10.9, adding a 10.8 two shots later. Sitting last after five shots, she pulled herself back up and into sixth place as the athletes got ready for the eliminations.
By this point, the defending champion was in trouble. Jiang scored 9.5 and below in four of her opening 10 shots and had to pull out a magnificent result to stay in contention. Two sub-10 shots could not close the gap to Esha Singh, who pushed towards her opponents. At this stage, just 1.1 separated the whole field, led by Yao, with Rostamiyan incredibly moving into joint-second after that difficult start.
Singh had an incredible series, scoring 10.3 and 10.6 to bridge the gap to her opponents. Her compatriot Manu Bhaker, was looking safe too after a 10.7 with her first shot, but an 8.8 would undo that great shooting, seeing her fall 0.4 behind Tarhan in seventh place. Just as Singh was looking like a threat for the title, she too would score low with an 8.4 and was eliminated in sixth. All of a sudden, India were out of the competition.
Exciting Battle for Medals Sees Tarhan Miss Out
Fourth can be the hardest place to finish and Sevval Ilayda Tarhan would find that out the hard way. The 2025 European champion's name is well-known as part of the dynamic duo with Yusuf Dikec in the mixed team event, but it is easy to forget she has had some near-misses individually. Seventh at Paris 2024 and a best World Cup finish of fourth, she was now in with a chance of a medal in her first world senior final, having never broken the top 30 at the World Championship.
The errors at the end of the first competition stage brought her back to the field and an 8.9 on her first elimination shot put her in a position of peril - that was until she strung together two scores of 10.7 - the best series of the final. She went from bottom of the order in sixth, to 0.1 behind the leader Yao. For the leader, there was rarely a poor moment. Only three of her seven series were under 20 points, and even then, only by a few decimals.
At the time of Tarhan's 10.7s, Rostamiyan's run would come to an end in fifth place. At the last three World Championships, she has always finished in the top five, but without an individual medal. The top four were only separated by 0.6 as no one could fully get away from the pack, and those at the back, excelled. Ho Ching Shing would record a 10.9 in her third series and followed this up with a 10.5 and 10.4 to take the outright lead with six shots to go.
Tarhan was now second, 0.2 adrift, albeit with a combination of 9.9 and 10.3. She was followed by Qian Wei, who had not taken the lead, but never looked far from it either. For Yao, it was make-or-break. Just as much as you can leapfrog your way from the bottom to the top, the reverse fortune can also happen. A 10.0 and 9.7 was her lowest series score and it saw her fall into fourth, 0.2 behind her teammate.
Once again, 0.6 separated the four and one error could end anyone's medal hopes. Shing pulled out a double that increased her lead to 0.8 points with 10.3 and 10.6 scores. Yao would recover with a combined total of 20.7 to move back into second. That 10.7 but Qian in danger, particularly when she hit for 9.2, but Tarhan would also be below 10 with a 9.4.
Qian held her nerve and scored 10.3. Tarhan, still with a gap to the Chinese, would record another sub-10 shot, being pushed out of the medals by just 0.1 points.
Fourth can be the hardest place to finish and Sevval Ilayda Tarhan would find that out the hard way. The 2025 European champion's name is well-known as part of the dynamic duo with Yusuf Dikec in the mixed team event, but it is easy to forget she has had some near-misses individually. Seventh at Paris 2024 and a best World Cup finish of fourth, she was now in with a chance of a medal in her first world senior final, having never broken the top 30 at the World Championship.
The errors at the end of the first competition stage brought her back to the field and an 8.9 on her first elimination shot put her in a position of peril - that was until she strung together two scores of 10.7 - the best series of the final. She went from bottom of the order in sixth, to 0.1 behind the leader Yao. For the leader, there was rarely a poor moment. Only three of her seven series were under 20 points, and even then, only by a few decimals.
At the time of Tarhan's 10.7s, Rostamiyan's run would come to an end in fifth place. At the last three World Championships, she has always finished in the top five, but without an individual medal. The top four were only separated by 0.6 as no one could fully get away from the pack, and those at the back, excelled. Ho Ching Shing would record a 10.9 in her third series and followed this up with a 10.5 and 10.4 to take the outright lead with six shots to go.
Tarhan was now second, 0.2 adrift, albeit with a combination of 9.9 and 10.3. She was followed by Qian Wei, who had not taken the lead, but never looked far from it either. For Yao, it was make-or-break. Just as much as you can leapfrog your way from the bottom to the top, the reverse fortune can also happen. A 10.0 and 9.7 was her lowest series score and it saw her fall into fourth, 0.2 behind her teammate.
Once again, 0.6 separated the four and one error could end anyone's medal hopes. Shing pulled out a double that increased her lead to 0.8 points with 10.3 and 10.6 scores. Yao would recover with a combined total of 20.7 to move back into second. That 10.7 but Qian in danger, particularly when she hit for 9.2, but Tarhan would also be below 10 with a 9.4.
Qian held her nerve and scored 10.3. Tarhan, still with a gap to the Chinese, would record another sub-10 shot, being pushed out of the medals by just 0.1 points.
Yao Brilliance Shines as Shing Rues Missed Opportunity
Qian Wei scoring 10.0 and 10.6 in the next series may have given her an opportunity to go ahead of her teammate and go into the battle for gold, but Yao was shooting at her best. A 10.7 and a 10.6 would not only increase the gap away from elimination, but would push her into first place.
Shing started well with a 10.5, but an error cost her the title, with her second shot being an 8.6. Not only that, but she faced an uphill battle against an athlete who was in the zone. Going into the last two shots, Yao had a lead of 1.4. This would increase to two going into the final shot, which the Chinese athlete managed well to take her first world title with a total of 243.0 to Shing's 241.2. In her first world final, Qian received the bronze medal.
As notable was the performance of Yao, Qian and Jiang in qualification, as they set a new world record in the team event with a score of 1752 from a possible 1800. China would be joined on the podium by Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker and Suruchi Singh of India with a total of 1740 and the Republic of Korea's Oh Ye-jin, Kim Bo-mi and Yang Ji-in on 1729, who beat Iran to the title by having just one extra shot hit the X-ring.
Qian Wei scoring 10.0 and 10.6 in the next series may have given her an opportunity to go ahead of her teammate and go into the battle for gold, but Yao was shooting at her best. A 10.7 and a 10.6 would not only increase the gap away from elimination, but would push her into first place.
Shing started well with a 10.5, but an error cost her the title, with her second shot being an 8.6. Not only that, but she faced an uphill battle against an athlete who was in the zone. Going into the last two shots, Yao had a lead of 1.4. This would increase to two going into the final shot, which the Chinese athlete managed well to take her first world title with a total of 243.0 to Shing's 241.2. In her first world final, Qian received the bronze medal.
As notable was the performance of Yao, Qian and Jiang in qualification, as they set a new world record in the team event with a score of 1752 from a possible 1800. China would be joined on the podium by Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker and Suruchi Singh of India with a total of 1740 and the Republic of Korea's Oh Ye-jin, Kim Bo-mi and Yang Ji-in on 1729, who beat Iran to the title by having just one extra shot hit the X-ring.
What the Athletes Had to Say
Yao Qianxun said: "I feel very happy and excited and I hope I will be even better in the future. I think every competition feels the same and every competition feels like a new beginning for me."
Ho Ching Shing said: "I'm feeling excited and it feels unexpected because I've never been into the World Championship final and I've never thought about being a medallist in a World Championship.
"I was just thinking about doing the shooting and not thinking about the score. This is also my first world international medal. Next year, it's my goal to be the gold medallist."
Qian Wei said: "I am very happy and I am very satisfied with my season."
Yao Qianxun said: "I feel very happy and excited and I hope I will be even better in the future. I think every competition feels the same and every competition feels like a new beginning for me."
Ho Ching Shing said: "I'm feeling excited and it feels unexpected because I've never been into the World Championship final and I've never thought about being a medallist in a World Championship.
"I was just thinking about doing the shooting and not thinking about the score. This is also my first world international medal. Next year, it's my goal to be the gold medallist."
Qian Wei said: "I am very happy and I am very satisfied with my season."