National Shooting Championship: 13-year-old shooter Esha Singh outshines Manu Bhaker, Heena Sidhu to win 3 gold medals

Thirteen-year-old shooter Esha Singh created quite a sensation at the 62nd National Shooting Championship, being held in Thiruvananthapuram, as she won five medals, including three gold. 

The youngest sensation to enter the shooting area beat established players like Manu Bhaker and Heena Sidhu.

She won three gold medals in Air Pistol events in all three - Senior, Junior and Youth - categories. 

After her sensational performance, Esha said she just tried to focus on her job as pressure started to build in the final.

I didn’t think so much about whom I was shooting with, she was quoted as saying by Scroll.in.  

The Telangana shooter prodigy shot 241.0 in the women’s final to leave behind Bhaker, who finished second with 238.9.

Heena Sidhu finished 6th with a score of 154.9. 

Esha, who took up shooting at the age of 9, is a product of Gun for Glory’s Project Leap. She started shooting after watching a friend of her father shoot and was picked for advance training at the Hyderabad centre two years ago.

“I tried my hand with various sports but liked the way it felt when I shot,” she said. 

She is the daughter of a national level rally driver.