The postponement of the Tokyo Olympics is a blessing in disguise for young shooter Esha Singh who had failed to qualify for the event that was originally scheduled for July 2020.
Esha missed the cut-off by a whisker in the qualification trials held in Delhi last month. The 15-year-old had beaten both Manu Bhaker and Yashaswini Singh Deswal in the trials before narrowly missing out on the chance to make the cut to finish third in the 10m air pistol category.
Now that the Olympics is rescheduled to August 2021, she believes she has a chance to bounce back. “There is lot of hope and exactly for this reason I have been training really hard,” Esha told Sportstar on Tuesday.
The 10th standard student of Bolton School has the privilege of continuing her daily routine at home in Marredpally, thanks to the shooting range and gym set up by her father-cum-coach Sachin Singh.
“I do believe that I have a chance to realise my ultimate dream of making it to the Olympics if the trials are held again,” said the confident Junior World Cup silver medallist.
How different is training at home? “Honestly, it was like going back to the days as a kid when I had no fear of competitions. It is fun shooting now for sure with no pressure,” said Esha, the 2019 Asian shooting champion in 10m air pistol (juniors).
What about ammunition? “We normally buy the ammunition for whole year and when the stock got over this February, my father purchased the next year’s quota also and hence luckily no issues on this front,” revealed the 2019 Asian Airgun gold medallist.
“Frankly, this lockdown has no bearing on my training and the only thing which I miss is going to school and meeting my friends. I have to stay positive and optimistic and we can only help others also by staying indoors to curb this virus,” said Esha.
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