Esha Singh
_2021.jpg)
.svg.png){kind=icon}
.svg.png){kind=icon}
.svg.png){kind=icon}
Esha Singh (born 1 January 2005) is an Indian sports shooter. She represented India in the women's 25 m pistol event at the 2024 Paris Olympics. At the 2026 ISSF World Cup in Munich, Singh won the women's 25 m pistol gold medal with 43 hits in the final, setting both the senior and junior world records.[1][2]
Early life
Esha was born to Sachin Singh and Srilatha on 1 January 2005 in Hyderabad. Her father was a rally driver. Before she took up shooting, Singh tried go-karting, badminton, tennis and skating. A visit to the shooting range at Gachibowli Athletic Stadium in Hyderabad motivated her to choose air pistol. She trained at the stadium and simultaneously at her home, in the paper practice range built by her father. She later joined the Gun for Glory academy by former Olympic medallist Gagan Narang in Pune, Maharashtra.[3]
Career
Domestic
Singh began shooting in 2014 and in 2015, she became the Telangana state champion in 10m air pistol category. She then defeated the Commonwealth Games and Youth Olympics gold-medalist Manu Bhaker and multi-medalist Heena Sidhu in 62nd National Shooting Championships at Thiruvananthapuram, by winning gold in 10m air pistol event becoming the youngest champion in the senior category as a 13-year-old. She also won gold medals in youth and junior categories.[3][4][5] At the second edition of Khelo India Youth Games in January 2019, Singh won gold medal in the 10m air pistol event in the under-17 category.
International
She won silver medal at the ISSF Junior World Cup at Suhl, Germany in 2019 and two gold medals at the Asian Junior championships in 10m air pistol women and 10m air pistol mixed team.[6]
Singh won gold at the Asian Airgun Championships in Taoyuan, Taiwan in March–April, 2019 in the junior category of 10m air pistol event.[7] In November 2019, Singh went on to win individual and mixed team gold medals at Asian Shooting Championship in Doha in 10m air pistol (junior) event.[8]
Singh was also selected for India's core training team for the 2020 Summer Olympics,[9] but failed to finish among the top two to qualify for the Olympics in the qualification event held in February 2020.[9]
At the age of 18, she won four medals at the 2022 Asian Games, including the gold medal in the 25m pistol team event for India and an individual silver medal in the 25m pistol event.[10] She became the 25m junior world champion at the 2022 ISSF World Shooting Championships in Cairo.
She clinched an Olympic quota berth in the 10m air pistol category for the 2024 Summer Olympics at the Asian Qualifier at Jakarta on 8 January 2024.[11] She represented India in the women's 25 m pistol event at the 2024 Paris Olympics, finishing 18th in the qualification round.
On 4 February 2026, Esha won the gold medal in the 10m air pistol event at the Asian Shooting Championships, held at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range. She secured the title with a final score of 239.8 points, winning her second individual gold medal in the event, having also won in 2024. Additionally, Esha led the Indian team to a gold medal in 10m air pistol team event as well alongside teammates Manu Bhaker and Suruchi Singh.[12]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Arjuna Award | Outstanding Performance in Sports | Won | [13] |
| 2024 | Indian Sports Honours | Breakthrough Performance of the Year Female | Nominated |
References
- ↑ "ISSF World Cup Munich 2026: Esha Singh breaks World Records to win 25m Pistol Women gold". International Shooting Sport Federation. 27 May 2026.
- ↑ Sharma, Nitin (27 May 2026). "At 21, Esha Singh breaks a world record and beats the Olympic champion". The Indian Express.
- 1 2 "In a battle of teens, 13-year-old Esha Singh upstages Manu Bhaker at Shooting Nationals". The Indian Express. 30 November 2018. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
- ↑ "14 साल की उम्र में रोजाना 4 घंटे शूटिंग की प्रैक्टिस और 1 घंटा योग". Dainik Bhaskar (in Hindi). 6 April 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
- ↑ Scroll Staff (29 November 2018). "Shooting Nationals: Teenager Esha Singh pips Manu Bhaker to clinch triple crown". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
- ↑ "Asian Airgun Championships: Sarabjot Singh, Esha Singh win gold in junior air pistol". Scroll.in. 30 March 2019. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
- ↑ PTI (3 January 2020). "Shooter Esha Singh reveals her father's sacrifice to support her career". Sportstar. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
- ↑ "Esha Singh - ISSF". International Shooting Sport Federation. Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
- 1 2 B. Krishna Prasad (27 June 2020). "Esha Singh makes NRAI core training group | More sports News - Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 30 July 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
- ↑ Singh, Philem Dipak (27 September 2023). "Asian Games: Indian trio bags gold in women's 25m pistol event". ThePrint. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- ↑ "Varun Tomar, Esha Singh win 10m air pistol quota for Paris Olympics". The Times of India. 9 January 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 10 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ↑ "Esha Singh Wins Gold in 10m Air Pistol at Asian Shooting Championships 2026". KhelWire. 5 February 2026. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ↑ "National Sports Awards 2023: Mohammed Shami, para-archer Sheetal Devi receive Arjuna awards - WATCH". The Times of India. 9 January 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- 2005 births
- Living people
- Indian female sport shooters
- Sport shooters from Hyderabad, India
- Sportswomen from Telangana
- Shooters at the 2024 Summer Olympics
- Olympic shooters for India
- Shooters at the 2022 Asian Games
- Asian Games gold medalists for India
- Asian Games shooters for India
- Asian Games silver medalists for India
- Medalists at the 2022 Asian Games
- Recipients of the Arjuna Award
- Asian Games gold medalists in shooting
- Asian Games silver medalists in shooting
- 21st-century Indian sportswomen