Esha Singh is an Indian air pistol shooter. As of 2022, she is ranked no. 2 in the world ranking of 10m Air Pistol women category (by the official website of ISSF).
Wiki/Biography
Esha Singh was born on Saturday, 1 January 2005 (age 17 years; as of 2022) in Secunderabad, Hyderabad. Her zodiac sign is Capricorn. As of 2022, she is pursuing her schooling at Reqelford International School, Hyderabad. Since childhood, she was inclined toward sports. She started practising go-karting and badminton when she was 8 years old.
Esha Singh’s childhood picture with her father
In 2014, while she was travelling with her father to meet his father’s friend at Gachibowli Athletic Stadium in Hyderabad, she observed a few children practising shooting. From there she developed an interest in the sport. During an interview, while sharing those memories, she said,
I started with badminton because back then people in Hyderabad were crazy about teaching their kids badminton and tennis. Sania Mirza and Saina Nehwal had won Olympic medals. I played badminton for two years and then I got bored and tried tennis followed by skating for about a year. I left that too. On a Sunday, I woke up early and I saw that my dad was getting ready to go somewhere, so I told him that I wanted to go with him, and he agreed. I had no idea where we were going. On the way, he told me that we were going to see my uncle shooting at the range in Gachibowli stadium. I got really excited. That’s the first time I saw the shooting range, then I told my dad I wanted to try it once.”
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 3″
Hair Colour: Brown
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Her father, Sachin Singh, is a national level rally driver and owns a sports shop. Her mother’s name is Srilatha. She is the only child of her parents.
Esha Singh with her parents
Esha Singh and her father
Career
She started her training in shooting at the Gachibowli Athletic Stadium in Hyderabad in 2014. Due to the lack of proper facilities in the stadium, she used to travel to Pune by train to receive training in air rifle shooting from the Olympic shooter Gagan Narang (owner of Gun for Glory Academy). She then started participating in shooting competitions and won many prizes. In 2017, she was extremely ill, but she still participated in the Khelo India Youth Games and finished in third place. She considers it as her life-changing event, in an interview, while sharing the moment, she said,
The night before that, I remember I was so ill that I couldn’t even stand. That performance was special. It taught me exactly how much I am willing to push myself for my sport.”
She continued her training and within a year, she became Telangana state champion in the 10m air pistol shooting category. Esha competed with many ace Indian shooters, and in 2018, she defeated the Indian shooters Manu Bhaker and Heena Sidhu in the second National Shooting Championship. The event was held in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. She competes in the air rifle shooting events such as AP60W, SP, STPW, FPW, APMIX. Her shooting club is Gun For Glory Shooting Academy in Pune, Maharashtra. She has been mentored by the Indian shooters Hiren Jaiswal and Abdul Kayyum Shah.
Record
Youngest champion in the women’s senior category of 10 m Air Pistol event at the Shooting Nationals in Kerala
Award
Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2020
Esha Singh on receiving Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2020
Medal(s)
Gold
- 2019: Asian Championships in 10m Air Pistol Women (AP60W) in Doha
- 2019: Asian Championships in 10m Air Pistol Women (AP60W) in Taoyuan
- 2019: Asian Championships in 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team (APMIX) in Doha
Silver
- 2021: ISSF Junior World Cup in 10m Air Pistol Women (AP60W) in Suhl
- 2021: World Championships in 10m Air Pistol Women (AP60W) in Lima
- 2021: World Championships in 50m Pistol Women (FPW) in Lima
- 2022: ISSF World Cup in Women’s 10m Pistol Event in Cairo
Esha Singh in the ISSF World Cup, Cairo
Bronze
- 2019: ISSF Junior World Cup in 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team (APMIX) in Suhl
Favourites
- Pistol Shooter: Anna Korakaki
- Book: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
- Music Genre(s): Hip-Hop, Pop, and Rap
Facts/Trivia
- Her father supported her and motivated her to make her career in sports. During an interview, while talking about her Esha, her father said,
Esha’s first pistol cost Rs 70,000, almost double of what I spent on my first bike, and she would often tell me that her pistol is also like my bikes. When Esha showed a keen interest in shooting, we would travel to Pune for attending camps while her mother Srilatha would manage our sports shop. Later, we also built her a small range at home. It was like operating a car garage for me after I left rallying two years ago. Her three medals are the biggest gift for me.”
In an interview, Esha said,
As I started taking the sport seriously, my father started reducing his rallies to help me with my game. Eventually, my father retired from rally driving in order to travel with me for my tournaments and also help me with my game during training sessions. While growing up, all I would see and hear was bikes and cars with my father competing in various rallies. He made me try go-carting initially, but I did not find it exciting. But when I went to a range for the first time, I liked the idea of pistol shooting and my father told me it’s like driving a car. Winning the senior national title is like winning a rally and I could see the same kind of adrenalin rush in my father’s eyes when I won. He left rallying to support me and this medal is for him.”
- In an interview, while talking about Esha, her first coach, Hiren Jaiswal said,
When she first came to train under me, she was like a normal 10-year-old. Normally, we start training at the age of 10 or 11 but we did not want to put pressure on her bones initially. We would make her train in a sitting position for 40-50 shots and aspects like sight adjustments were taught later, which she grasped quickly. Being the only daughter, she was a pampered kid and would throw tantrums initially.”
- She is being trained under the Indian shooting coach Abdul Kayyum Shah as of 2022. In an interview, while talking about Esha, he said,
The fact that she won the senior gold with a margin of more than two points will motivate Esha a lot. Competing in a final with shooters like Manu Bhaker, Heena Sidhu and Shweta Singh and leading in all the series except one speaks a lot about her mental strength. And she maintained her focus in all three finals and won the senior, junior and youth titles. This win will add a lot to her confidence.”
- To maintain her focus on the game, she regularly practices Yoga.
- In her leisure time, she enjoys doing painting, sketching, reading books, and doing photography.
