Meet Esha Singh: The Rising Star of Indian Shooting Who Just Claimed Gold!
Esha Singh's Remarkable Journey in Shooting
Hyderabad: Who exactly is Esha Singh? This 21-year-old shooter from Hyderabad has quickly become one of India's most promising talents in shooting. She recently triumphed over Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker to secure the gold medal in the women's 25m pistol event at the ISSF World Cup held in Hangzhou, China.
Esha was born on January 1, 2005, to Sachin Singh and Srilatha in Hyderabad. Interestingly, her journey into sports didn't start with shooting; she initially explored go-karting, badminton, tennis, and skating. A pivotal visit to the shooting range at Gachibowli Athletic Stadium ignited her passion for the air pistol event.
Her father, a rally driver, significantly contributed to her development by creating a paper practice range at home, enabling her to train outside of regular sessions. Esha later joined the Gun for Glory Academy in Pune, founded by former Olympic champion Gagan Narang, to hone her skills further.
Esha's shooting career began in 2014, and she quickly made a name for herself. By 2015, she had already claimed the title of Telangana state champion in the 10m air pistol category. At just 13 years old, she shocked the shooting community by defeating established champions like Manu Bhaker and Heena Sidhu to win gold at the 62nd National Shooting Championships, becoming the youngest senior national champion.
Her accolades continued to grow, including an under-17 gold medal at the 2019 Khelo India Youth Games, a silver at the ISSF Junior World Cup in Suhl, Germany, and multiple gold medals at the Asian Junior Championships.
Despite being selected for India's core training group for the Tokyo Olympics, Esha narrowly missed out on qualifying. However, she bounced back with a stellar performance at the 2022 Asian Games, where she secured four medals, including team gold in the women's 25m pistol event and an individual silver.
Esha also became the junior world champion in the 25m pistol event at the 2022 ISSF World Shooting Championships in Cairo. She earned an Olympic quota in the 10m air pistol event at the Asian Qualifier in Jakarta and represented India at the Paris Olympics, finishing 18th in qualification.
Earlier this year, she clinched the women's 10m air pistol gold at the Asian Shooting Championships and contributed to India's team gold alongside Manu Bhaker and Suruchi Singh.
Esha set both senior and junior world records at the ISSF World Cup in Munich with an impressive 43 hits in the women's 25m pistol final.
On Monday, she achieved another milestone by defeating Manu Bhaker to win the women's 25m pistol title in Hangzhou. Esha showcased her skills in the final, scoring 40 hits to secure the gold medal, while Manu fought hard to finish with 28 hits, earning the bronze and ensuring a double podium finish for India.
The Indian shooters excelled in qualification, with Manu leading the standings at 586-20x and Esha following closely at 585-18x, both advancing comfortably to the final.
Reflecting on her victory, Esha mentioned that managing the expectations following her recent successes was her biggest challenge. She expressed, "This match was very pressure-riding for me because of the previous medal I had. The better you get in your event, the more you feel that weight of prestige you have to conquer. I’m happy that I was able to get past it today and grateful that I had the ability to endure it."
Esha also highlighted her comfort with the Hangzhou range, where she previously won four medals during the Asian Games. She stated, "I really love competing here in Hangzhou. Recalling how the competition went during the Asian Games, where I won four medals, I was really excited to come back. Being familiar with the range, the lighting, and the atmosphere in the final hall definitely counted in my favour."