Esha Singh is only 18, but already much accomplished in Indian shooting on the world stage. After winning a bunch of gold medals in the junior events of the last World Championship in Cairo, Esha is focused on making the Indian women’s team and secure the Olympic quota for Paris Games next year.

In a media interaction organised by the Sports Authority of India (SAI), in the run up to the Khelo India Youth Games to be staged in eight cities of Madhya Pradesh from the end of the month, Esha said that she cherished the gold medal in Khelo Games that paved the foundation for her career.

Of course, Esha had broken into the national scenario brilliantly when she won the women’s, junior and youth gold medals in air pistol in the National championship in Thiruvananthapuram, when she was 13 years old.

“There is incredible support through Khelo India. They keep checking on athletes. It is a top development scheme for youth to come up”, said Esha, who had derived support from the scheme since 2018.

“Enjoy your game. Don’t take it as a mission. Cherish the moments. Enjoy the experience of feeling the butterflies, and enjoy the journey”, said Esha.

On her part, Esha will be busy with the National selection trials soon and try to make the team for the World Cup in Cairo and the one in Bhopal.

She is not much too worried about getting the Olympic quota or shining in the Paris Games. “I am just focused on learning from the bad matches, and keep working on things to get better”, said Esha.

Quite grateful to the coaches who have been dedicated in helping her realise her potential, Esha said that the bond between the athlete and coach was very important.

She revealed that her father Sachin Singh, an athlete in motor sport, and Gagan Narang had inspired her to get glued to sports and excel. “When I was coming up, I saw Gagan Narang’s photos everywhere. I watched his matches and saw how he worked. I also see how much he does for other athletes now”, said Esha.