Olympian Esha Singh speaks on ISSF Shooting WC silver, hails concept of Shooting League of India

Olympian shooter Esha Singh spoke on her recent silver-medal winning outing at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF), saying that the tournament served as a learning curve as she tries to experiment and see what works for her. Back in April, Esha secured a silver medal in the 25 m pistol shooting event at the ISSF World Cup 2025 in Buenos Aires.

Speaking to ANI recently, Esha said about her medal win: "I feel good. I feel all my hard work has paid off. There are certain aspects I could have improved on, but it was a learning curve, and overall, I think I did a great job. I was not aiming for a medal, and I was working on a few things. I was not expecting a medal. This is the only year we can try something new things. The Olympic cycle is going to start again. I want to experiment on something and see what is working for me."

Esha said that four shooting WCs are held every year, leading into the World Cup finals at the year-end. "We skip it sometimes when an important match is there. But it is a great experience. The competition level is high. Most top athletes come here. It is good for exposure for players," he added.

She referred to Team India's historic performance in shooting at the Paris Olympics, with Manu Bhaker, Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh, and Swapnil Kusale bringing in a record-breaking three medals, India's highest in shooting at Olympics. She was also part of the Olympic contingent, finishing in 18th place in the 25 m pistol women's competition.

"I think we proved it last time, the shooting team is trying to win as many medals as possible, including the Olympics. The Federation etc, are doing well. I am proud of being from the Indian shooting team. We can expect more medals when we go to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, I agree we are in a golden age of Indian shooting," she said.

She also hailed the concept of the Shooting League of India (SLI), saying that it is "exciting". "It could help people understand the sport better, and everyone is looking forward to it. It could give exposure to new athletes," she added.

The first season of the SLI will have a window between 20th November and 2nd December 2025 and will feature mixed team events across pistol (10m, 25m), rifle (10m, 50m 3 positions), and shotgun (Trap & Skeet), as outlined by the NRAI Technical Committee. A total of a minimum of

Six teams will participate in the competition, divided into two pools during the league stage. Players will be selected and grouped into four tiers -- Elite Champions, World Elite, National Champions, and Junior & Youth Champions -- to ensure a competitive mix of experience and emerging talent.

On her future goals, Esha said that while she is taking this year as a "learning year" and doing a lot of experimentation, she has her eyes on the Asian Shooting Championship in Kazakhstan in August.

"Training is more or less the same. I have played so many matches, and I had a really great experience at my Olympics debut. I had the opportunity to get that exposure. It added to my learning. Just working on a few details, changing a few things, experimenting. This year is a learning year, seeing what suits me the best. We have Asian Championships in Kazakhstan, looking forward to that." (ANI)