"It was my first Asiad, but I didn't make it too big in my head" - Esha Singh recalls multiple medal streak at Hangzhou ahead of 2024 Olympic campaign
Esha Singh will be on the flight to Paris when the Indian shooting contingent embarks on a much-awaited Olympic campaign. Following the announcement of the 15-member Rifle and Pistol team by the NRAI (National Rifle Association of India), Esha will be seen representing India in the 25m pistol event alongside Manu Bhaker at the Olympic Games.
During an exclusive interaction with Sportskeeda, the shooting prodigy asserted that the 25m event was indeed her favorite while turning the clock back on her historic exploits at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
"My foremost memory of the Asian Games would be that I gave my personal best score in 25m, which is my favourite game as compared to the other one (10m) and that I created a record of winning four medals," Esha Singh recalled.
After qualifying for multiple events at the 2023 Asian Games, Esha Singh went on to clinch the gold medal in the 25m pistol team event. She also won silver medals in the 10m air pistol event in both the team and individual categories and the 25m pistol individual event.
Esha admitted that although staying at a Games village for the first time and interacting with athletes from different sporting disciplines was quite an experience, she never allowed herself to be overawed by the occasion.
"It was such a big platform and I've never been to an event as big as that, it was my first time ever, staying at a (Games) village and going to the range, being with so many people from different sports in one area and everything happening at the same time," she stated remembering everything a lot of what transpired in Hangzhou.
"It was my first ever Games but I didn't make it too big in my head and I focused, on just being excited about it and giving my best," Esha explained.
Veteran Manu Bhaker is the only shooter who will represent India in two events at the upcoming Olympic games. Esha revealed how "sweet" the Haryana girl was to her when she outperformed Manu in the 2018 Nationals.
Esha was just 13 when she became the National Champion in 2018, finishing ahead of senior shooters Manu Bhaker and Heena Sidhu in the 10m air pistol event.
"I remember. Both of them (Manu and Heena) spoke to me then and they were both really sweet, you know. In person, they're really sweet. And I remember they congratulated me and they were really happy for me at the time," she stated.
"It's just in me to self-discipline myself and not take advantage of freedom" - Esha Singh
As Esha Singh continues to narrate her captivating experiences, she exudes a level of maturity well beyond her years. The teenage champion stressed that she has been "very mature" since childhood while also crediting her father for imbibing a sense of self-discipline within her.
"My personality is this way - since childhood, I used to always be very mature even at a young age. But I think my parents also had a very important role to play because my dad always made me understand that although I was playing the sport for myself, just having fun with the sport was not enough," the 19-year-old declared.
"He told me that at the end of the day, I needed to be serious about the sport and give my best because I was putting so much of my time and effort into it," said Esha Singh who father used to be a rally driver.
Keeping time limits on phone usage even before she became a teen is an example of how self-discipline became an inseparable part of her formative years.
"I used certain things to discipline myself when I was by myself. My dad used to give me a phone because I used to be in camps at a very young age, at 11 and 12, I used to be outside of home. So I used to have a phone and I would keep reminding myself that even though nobody was watching me, I was not under supervision, I would keep time limits," she disclosed.
"So that way, I think it's just in me to self-discipline myself and not take advantage of freedom," said Esha.
Esha Singh, who also won gold in the 10m air pistol mixed team event and the 25m pistol team event at the 2023 ISSF World Shooting Championship in Baku, excelled under pressure at the Olympic trials.
After winning an Olympic quota for the country at the Asiah Qualifiers in Jakarta, the youngster is now certain that she will also become an Olympian when the Paris Games get underway in late July.