“Systematic training” and “discipline” have been the key to Esha Singh’s success, said proud father Sachin Singh after his daughter earned a 2024 Paris Olympic quota place for the country in women’s 10m air pistol at the Asia Olympic Qualifiers in Jakarta on Monday.
It was a memorable day for 19-year-old Esha as she grabbed the individual and team gold.
Sachin, himself a motorsports enthusiast, was there at the range in Jakarta when Esha bagged India’s 15th Paris Olympic quota place, and said that more than “individual pride, I feel she has done the country proud by earning the quota”.
Esha recently clinched four medals, including a team gold, at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, and Sachin said the success in Jakarta is just the “extension of the form she displayed last year” at the continental showpiece.
“Since the age of 13, we have meticulously planned her career... things like how she will make the transition from the junior to the senior category and go about her shooting,” said Sachin, adding that Esha had won medals in “99 per cent of the competitions” she has competed in.
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“We were very confident that sooner or later she was going to earn a Paris Olympic quota. Her systematic training and discipline has ensured that. Since 2019, she has almost always been in the national squad that has left Indian shores, such has been her consistency,” he said of the Khelo India athlete, who trains in Hyderabad at the Gun for Glory academy.
Esha grabbed the individual gold with a score of 243.1 in Jakarta, while she combined with Rhythm Sangwan and Surbhi Rao to also win the team gold medal with a combined score of 1736.
(L-R) Indian shooters Rhythm Sangwan, Esha Singh and Surbhi Rao after winning gold in the women’s 10m air pistol team event at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers. | Photo Credit: PTI
The quota for Esha has also made her eligible to compete in a 25m sports pistol at the Olympics if she is selected by the national federation for both events at the quadrennial showpiece.
“She can also win a medal, possibly gold, in 25m sports pistol here in Jakarta. But an individual can bag only one quota place for the country. Her bagging the quota in 10m air pistol means she can also compete in 25m sports pistol in Paris,” said Sachin.
Sachin added that Esha had been brought up in a way that outside distractions do not bother her and her time management is “perfect”.
“She knows when to switch off her mobile phone and what she needs to do to improve her shooting. Her time management is perfect. She is very dedicated, her goals are set, and she works on that pathway. When I see a child setting such high goals for herself... and to maintain discipline and rise, it’s a difficult task.
“We have also gone through that phase. We used to have fun, but she is different. She knows when to study, when to use the mobile, when to go out with friend.”
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