What do Usain Bolt, Nadia Comăneci, and Esha Singh have in common?
In a few weeks, you could say they are all Olympians. With a stroke of fortune, you might even call them all Olympic medalists.
But, what about now?
There’s a shared facet among them – none had initially planned to pursue the sport that brought them global acclaim.
Bolt never imagined track and field would earn him eight Olympic medals. The Jamaican would much rather play cricket and represent the West Indies, had his cricket coach not advised to try sprinting.
Comăneci didn't foresee gymnastics earning her nine Olympic medals. The Romanian would much rather be a ballet dancer, had gymnast coach Béla Károlyi not discovered her.
Esha Singh had not envisaged shooting taking her to the 2024 Paris Olympics. All she wanted was to avoid sports which required endurance and stamina.
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The First Shot
Speaking with The Quint ahead of her trip to the French capital, the 19-year-old prodigy reminisces what led to the commencement of her now-blooming career.
My dad was a rally driver. He wanted me to pursue some sport as well. He always believed that the attitude sportspersons have towards life is not something they teach you in schools. It is something one learns from all the experiences during a sporting career.Esha Singh
Former rally driver Sachin Singh was, hence, adamant that her daughter would pursue a sport. Any sport. Not to represent the nation of 1.4 billion in the Olympics, but to inculcate those principles and ethics which only sports can teach.
So, how did shooting happen?
Because of my father, I tried a lot of sports. Unfortunately, all the sports I chose early on were very endurance-based. I did go-karting, I tried racke sports like badminton & tennis. But when I tried shooting, I realised that it needed no endurance whatsoever. I was like ‘Wow! This sport is amazing, I just need to stand and shoot.’ That was a major reason why I chose shooting, without knowing its difficulties of course. Another reason was that it is an indoor event, so there’s no sun to bother you (laughs). To add to all of that, it also seemed very unique. I did not know anyone from Hyderabad who was a shooter.Esha Singh
From Shotgun to Pistol
Esha’s tryst with the sport was initially sparked by his uncle – a national-level shooter.
My uncle, Gautam Gyan Chandani, was a national-level shotgun shooter. When I first saw him shooting, I asked him about it and that was how I first came to know that there is a sport called shooting. He knew that I didn’t like to run and stuff, so he encouraged my dad to get me into shooting.Esha Singh
For kids, like perhaps for gun enthusiasts of any age, the shotgun has its own allure. Asserting dominance; giving its custodian a sense of superiority. Except, it is not exactly designed for a nine-year-old.
I started with shotgun after getting inspired by my uncle. But I was only 9 years of age at that time, and the shotgun was very heavy. I would keep falling backwards while trying to pick it up. Then I tried rifle, but pistol was what I could finally pick up comfortably.Esha Singh
The Formative Years at Gagan Narang’s Academy
Esha’s initial days were spent at the Gachibowli Athletic Stadium, before she decided to relocate to Pune, at the tender age of 10.
I started training in Gachibowli, but it was very far-flung, about a 90-minute drive from my place. Fortunately, my uncle was a good friend of Gagan Narang. He informed me about the Gun For Glory academy in Pune, so I decided to go there and learn the basics. By the time I was done with basics, a shooting range had opened nearby my house, so I came back.Esha Singh
The seven-time World Shooting Championships medallist feels she would not have attained the stature he currently has, had it not been for the decision to join Narang’s academy.
I believe the time I spent at the Gun For Glory academy was the turning point in my career. We had a camp called ‘Project Leap,’ where we were introduced to a lot of new things that we had no idea about. We also had a foreign coach.Esha Singh
Pistol for 11 Months, Pen for 1 Month
For the past nine years, shooting has found itself atop all of Esha’s priority lists. Albeit, it subsequently does not imply she was freed of all academic obligations.
I did not have a smooth journey in terms of academics, but I am lucky that I had my school’s support. My principal would postpone examination dates for me. Whenever I was done with the competitions, she would give me a month’s time to prepare and write my exams. But having said that, it was still very difficult to cover an entire year’s syllabus in a month. Fortunately, I had a strong will and I did it.Esha Singh
That First Realisation
Academics also served as a fall-back career plan, owing to the lack of certitude whilst pursuing a sporting career. That is, until a realisation struck – of being talented enough to be a professional shooter.
The first time I realised that I was good at shooting was when I won a gold medal in my first-ever state competition. It was a U-18 event and I was only about 11 or 12, but I still won the gold medal. That made me feel like ‘Wow! I am really good at this, I should give this a shot.’Esha Singh
Lows Are the New Highs
Seven medals at the World Shooting Championships, three at the World Cup, 4 at the Asian Games. A stellar résumé for a 19-year-old.
Esha’s career, however, has not always seen highs. There have been lows, albeit the teenager looks at the positive aspect of those.
I have had many lows in my career as well, it is not like there have only been highs. But in hindsight, I am grateful for the lows because they happened at the right moments and taught me a lot. There is one incident that I remember very clearly. I was competing in my first Khelo India in 2018. I was excited. But I started feeling nauseous and ended up having a high fever. In such circumstances, one would struggle to even get out of bed, but I had my event in an hour. Someone I still topped the qualifiers and shot one of my highest scores. Unfortunately, I did not win the final, but on that day, I realised what my limits are and what I can do even in difficult conditions. So in a way, even though it was a low, it built me up.Esha Singh
Asian Games Glory
Esha competed in four events at last year’s Asian Games – 10m air pistol individual, 10m air pistol team, 25m pistol individual, and 25m pistol team. She won a medal in every event – three silver and a gold, in total.
On being asked about whether she expected such a result, Esha says:
It definitely did surpass my expectations, because I did not have any expectations in the first place. Not even low expectations – but totally no expectations. What also helped me was the fact that I did not think of Asian Games as a huge thing in my head. It was my debut at a Games, so I did not know it would be so grand. I took it as just another competition and focused on what I knew and how I knew to do itEsha Singh
Being an Arjuna Awardee
What succeeded, and perhaps eclipsed those four medals, was the Arjuna Award.
The Arjuna Award is something that I feel I am still digesting. Of course, I am thankful to my family because it would not have been possible without them, but I also feel proud to be from a nation that honours its sportspersons with such high-ranking awards. They are so supportive. When I received that award, it felt that all the hard work had paid off. I am really proud to be an Indian.Esha Singh
The Goal Is to Script History, Not Repeat It
21 shooters will represent India at the Paris Olympics – the largest-ever contingent.
The Tokyo display still haunts Indian shooters. 15 shooters went to Japan, and all of them returned empty-handed.
Esha believes history will not repeat itself in Paris.
I don’t want to predict the future, but what I will say is that this is one of India’s strongest contingents in shooting. We are all mentally very strong, and if you look at the performances, we have broken world records! We can head to the Olympics with a positive mindset.Esha Singh
About her own expectations, she elaborates:
I am working hard. I am not a result-oriented person, I am more process-oriented. Of course, everybody wants to win a medal for India, and that is my goal as well. But instead of having materialistic expectations, my focus is being mentally strong.Esha Singh
The magic figure for India in Paris has unanimously been fixated at 10. The nation’s medal tally at sport’s pinnacle competition has never touched double-digits.
For history to be scripted, it has to be scripted with – not ink and paper – but barrel and gunpowder.
Esha, among others, could be the proponent of change.
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