A long-pending trip with plenty of mangoes and chicken white sauce pasta - Aishwary Pratap Singh's to-do list after the Olympics
After returnning to India, the shooter has plans to spend time with his family
Aishwary Pratap Singh had to deal with a growth spurt after lockdown before he could take part in the New Delhi World Cup in March, earlier this year in his pet 50m 3P event. His old jacket wouldn't fit him anymore and a new one had to be stitched in the eleventh hour so that he could take part in that competition.
“Post-lockdown he suddenly looked bigger,” India coach Suma Shirur told the Olympics.com before flying to Tokyo. “I left him looking like a kid and he came out looking like an adult!”
What was the reason behind the growth spurt? His cousin Navdeep Singh Rathore, who is himself a shooter, spilled the beans.
"During the lockdown, he was staying with me. We ate kilos and kilos of mangoes and therefore, he had a growth spurt," he revealed.
Singh's village in the Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh is a go-to place for mango lovers and the 20-year-old feasted on them during the pandemic last year. He is also a connoisseur of tea and loves to taste a variety of them.
"But I guess his favourite is chicken white sauce pasta. He can survive months on it," laughs Rathore, who motivated a young Aishwary to take up shooting.
Rathore has represented India in the Youth Olympics in 2010 and his medals worked as an inspiration to Aishwary who enrolled himself in the Madhya Pradesh Shooting Academy in 2015. Although the Olympic medal winner prefers to call himself stoic, his cousin revealed a completely different side.
"He is very shy and an introvert. But within the family, he is just the opposite. He is a different person in his comfort zone.
"But he is very afraid to stay alone. At the hostel staying alone would be a nightmare for him. Even during the afternoon, he used to stay with me in the range as he was afraid to go alone to his room," he reminisced.
Rathore mentioned that a lot of effort has been put in before the Olympics so that he does not lose focus.
"We used to stay in touch while he was in Croatia. We discussed technical aspects and also small things which would help him stay focused. Even his phone number was changed so that he remains beyond the reach of unnecessary people," he stated.
After Mission Tokyo 2020, the attention will shift to a long-planned trip before Aishwary once again gets back to the range.
"Firstly, when he comes back home, we will eat a lot of mangoes together. And then we will leave for a trip."
After a hectic Olympic cycle, the mangoes will even taste sweeter if he returns with a medal.
When is Aishwary Pratap Singh in action at Tokyo 2020?
Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar will be in action in the qualifiers of the men's 50m 3 Position event on Monday, August 2.