Esha Singh- Teenage shooting prodigy shines at Asian Games 2023

Winning one medal in a multi-sporting event is considered an achievement, but winning four medals, that too at the age of 18, is something only a few can boast about. Pistol shooter Esha Singh is one of them.

Hailing from Hyderabad, Esha Singh won four medals in shooting at the ongoing Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

During one of the interactions with the media, when asked about her being the youngest in the team, Esha quipped, "I am young but I do have a lot of experience under my belt."

Well, she is not wrong in making that statement. Esha picked up shooting at the age of 9 when one of her father's friends took her to the shooting range.

Unable to hold the rifle at the tender age of 9, Esha picked up the pistol, and it was not long before she showed her talent.

In a sport full of child prodigies, Esha managed to stand out when she became the youngest national champion ever at the mere age of thirteen, beating the likes of veteran Heena Sidhu and another prodigy Manu Bhaker.

Fast forward to five years later, Esha has won four medals at the Asian Games 2023, including gold in the 25m pistol team event, silver in the 25m pistol individual event, silver in the 10m air pistol team event, and silver in the 10m air pistol individual event.".

Her first medal came when she combined with Manu Bhaker and Rhythm Sangwan to win the 25m pistol team gold. After that, Esha contested in a thrilling final to make a comeback and win her first individual medal.

Calm and unfazed under pressure

In a final that was marred by interruptions, those interruptions helped Esha recover and return from a losing position to the podium. Speaking about the breaks during the final, Esha told the media, "I appreciate such breaks during a lengthy final. It was an advantage for me as my muscles had a chance to rest, and it worked in my favor."

After the break in the 25m pistol final, Esha shot a series of 5, 4, and 5, propelling her from fifth position to the silver medal position and securing her first individual medal with a thrilling comeback.

Despite the tension throughout the final, Esha remained composed and unfazed. Sharing her method of staying calm, Esha said, "Every individual has their techniques for that. For me, it's a breathing style. So, I adjusted my breathing style to include longer exhales. I don’t count my breaths; it’s hard to explain, but I can feel the breath speeding up, so I try to slow it down."

The teenager displayed her mental fortitude once again during the 10m air rifle final when she slipped to fourth place in the second-last series but made a strong comeback to defeat the shooter from Chinese Taipei and secure her second individual medal and fourth medal overall at the Asian Games.

When asked about her plans after the Asian Games, Esha said, "Obviously, as a sportsman, my aim is the Olympics, and I’m looking forward to it. We have the Asian Championships after this, and that will be a qualifier for Paris, where I hope to improve technically."