Esha Singh

Esha Singh was born on January 1, 2005, in Hyderabad, India. Her father was a rally driver, and Esha initially explored various sports including go-karting, badminton, tennis, and skating. Her introduction to shooting came through a visit to the Gachibowli Athletic Stadium in Hyderabad, which sparked her interest in air pistol shooting. She began her shooting career in 2014 and quickly rose through the ranks. In 2015, she became the Telangana state champion in the 10m air pistol category. A significant milestone occurred in the 62nd National Shooting Championships at Thiruvananthapuram, where at 13 years old, she became the youngest champion in the senior category for the 10m air pistol event, surpassing established athletes like Manu Bhaker and Heena Sidhu. She also secured gold medals in the youth and junior categories at the same event. Her early dedication and success in domestic competitions laid the groundwork for her international career.

Esha’s international debut saw her continue her winning streak. In 2019, she earned a silver medal at the ISSF Junior World Cup in Suhl, Germany. She followed this with two gold medals at the Asian Junior Championships in both the 10m air pistol women’s and mixed team events. March-April 2019 brought her another gold at the Asian Airgun Championships in Taoyuan, Taiwan, in the junior 10m air pistol. Later that year, in November, she secured individual and mixed team gold medals in the 10m air pistol (junior) event at the Asian Shooting Championship in Doha. Her consistent performance led to her selection for India’s core training team for the 2020 Summer Olympics, though she did not qualify for the main event at that time.

At 18, Esha made a notable impact at the 2022 Asian Games, where she secured four medals. This included a gold medal in the 25m pistol team event for India and an individual silver medal in the 25m pistol event. Further reinforcing her standing, she became the 25m junior world champion at the 2022 ISSF World Shooting Championships in Cairo. Esha continued to excel, clinching an Olympic quota berth in the 10m air pistol category for the 2024 Summer Olympics at the Asian Qualifier in Jakarta in January 2024. She represented India in the women’s 25m pistol event at the 2024 Paris Olympics, finishing 18th in the qualification round. In February 2026, Esha won a gold medal in the 10m air pistol event at the Asian Shooting Championships and led the Indian team to another gold in the 10m air pistol team event. Her remarkable achievements were recognized with the Arjuna Award in 2023 for Outstanding Performance in Sports.