Who is Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar? All you need to know about the Indian shooter competing at Paris 2024 Olympics
Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar is an Indian sport shooter competing in the 50-meter rifle three positions. With a great start to his competitive career early in his teens, Tomar has gone on to win some big-ticket events at the international level and now gearing up to represent India for a second time in the Summer Olympics as the 2024 Paris Olympics begin.
Tomar hails from Ratanpur village in Khargone district, Madhya Pradesh, born to a family of farmers. He is the youngest of three children and developed an interest in shooting early from his father, Veer Bahadur, a landlord who used to take him along with him while going out hunting.
His cousin, Navdeep Singh Rathore, introduced him to sport shooting—a path soon to become his career. He started proper training in the year 2015 from the Madhya Pradesh Shooting Academy based in Bhopal in order to polish his skills for competitive shooting.
Tomar's shooting career quickly took off, and he garnered attention with his remarkable performances. In 2019, he went on to win a bronze medal at the Asian Airgun Championships in the junior 10-meter air rifle event. At the ISSF Junior World Cup in Suhl, he set a junior world record with 459.3 in the 50-meter rifle three positions, bringing home the gold.
The winning streak continued for him at the 2019 Asian Shooting Championships held in Doha, as he won a bronze medal in the 50-meter rifle three positions with an average of 449.1, securing India its second quota place for the 2020 Summer Olympics in this particular event. Tomar also pocketed a bronze medal in the team event at the championships in partnership with Chain Singh and Parul Kumar.
In 2021, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar won gold at the ISSF World Cup in New Delhi, with a score of 462.5 in the men's 50-meter rifle event. It was an effort, including 155 in kneeling and 310.5 before excelling in the standing elimination round. Later in the same year, he clinched another gold with a new junior world record at the ISSF Junior World Championships in Lima, Peru.
List of awards Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar has won
Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar's skill in this sport has earned him many awards. Back in 2019, the Government of Madhya Pradesh awarded him with the Eklavya Award on the occasion of National Sports Day.
Furthermore, in 2023, he was awarded the Arjuna Award for his phenomenal achievements and contributions to Indian sports.
With Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar getting ready for the 2024 Summer Olympics scheduled in Paris, he has really emerged as that one torch of talent and dedication who is all set to once again leave his mark on an international platform.