Tokyo 2020 the ultimate dream: How shooter Aishwary Pratap Singh overcame setbacks to rise to the very top
The athlete from Madhya Pradesh prefers to be stoic to succeed in the range
Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar has grown up with guns. His father, Veer Bahadur Singh, was a connoisseur of rifles and a young Aishwary would admire his collection of weapons.
Not just that. His cousin Navdeep Singh Rathore is a professional shooter and was part of the Indian squad that travelled to the 2010 Youth Olympics in Singapore. Hence it is not surprising that he had an affinity towards guns from a very young age.
"We are Rajputs, so we keep weapons in our house. Moreover, my father is a farmer, so he used to keep guns. From a very young age, I used to go to the fields and try shooting targets," reminisced Singh to Olympic Channel.
He had more interest in helping his father clean up his shotgun and break barrel air rifle rather than studying. He would even nag Veer Bahadur to take him to the Navgarh fair so that he can try his hand at shooting balloons.
"I was studying but I was never into it. My marks were reflective of that. And shooting was like a pastime. It was nothing serious. But shooting balloons also would give me immense joy. Then my brother Navdeep Singh Rathore, suggested to my father that if he is not interested in studies let him try his luck in sports."
Thus began his path to professional shooting. But it was not an easy journey for the teenager.
In 2014, he walked into the Madhya Pradesh Shooting Academy (MPSA) with his brother Navdeep. He spent a month in the camp and then appeared in the selection trials.
"I did not get selected. It was very disappointing. I could not concentrate on my studies, and also could not crack shooting. It felt terrible."
Disappointed and dejected, he came back to Ratanpur and a year later, he tried his luck once again. This time he managed to sneak into the top three and sealed a berth in the hostel that he still calls his home.
It was a tricky situation for the child who had never left home before, but the presence of his elder brother Navdeep made life a bit easier.
"When I arrived in Bhopal MPSA, I was only 15. He was like my guardian over here. In fact, I started training under him and not any professional coach. He used to participate in international tournaments and would frequently travel outside India. That motivated me and when he brought back medals that inspired me very much."
However, his darkest hours were yet to arrive.
"In 2015, I participated in my first nationals. I was disqualified. A butt plate was one cm below the permitted level and due to this technical reason, I was suspended for an entire year. I could not participate in any competition. I had to start from scratch, play state level, then pre-national and then nationals.
"It was the toughest time. I used to watch all the kids participating in other competitions and I had to stay alone in the hostel. Pehle kabhi akela raha bhi nehi. (Had never stayed alone before). So it was very difficult. It was very tough mentally."
The road to recovery is never easy and Aishwary knew it from day one. He turned his adversity into an opportunity and started making the most of the free time by spending hours in the range. His average day would start at four in the morning till lights off at 11 pm.
"I started going to school regularly. I focused on my physical fitness. I had the keys to the range because I was the only one who had the time to train 24/7, the rest were playing competitions. It was like eat, train, sleep and repeat. Slept maybe for just five hours during that time."
After a year of gruelling practice, he returned to the national stage in 2016 and in 2018, he won three gold medals in the junior nationals in all three disciplines. He had redeemed himself substantially but not wholly or in full measure. He had his sights on greater things.
Singh started plying his trade in 10m air rifle, prone and 50m 3P and in the same year, he made his cut into the India junior team. There was no looking back.
He made his entry into the record books by setting a new junior national record by scoring 1173 at the international Meeting of Shooting Hopes in Czech Republic.
Subsequently, in the 2019 ISSF Junior World Cup, he accumulated 459.3, a world record score, to win gold. In that tournament, India finished at the top of the medals tally with 24 podium-finishers including 10 gold.
But his best was yet to arrive when in 2019 Asian Shooting Championships, he secured his Olympic berth in the 50m 3P in Doha, by shooting a total of 449.1.
"It is one of those ranges in the world where there's a lot of wind. Moreover, my weight was also less back then, just 57-58 kg. So while standing, I was also swinging a bit with my rifle. It required a lot of patience to get the targets right," he explained.
Having earned the ticket to Tokyo, he can't stop thinking about it.
"Reel chalta rehta hai dimaag mein. Lekin woh toh chalna hi chaiye. (The Tokyo reels keep on playing in my head. But that's how it should be.) That is the ultimate dream," stated Singh with determination and yet with a certain degree of nonchalance in his voice.
"I remain calm and I can't express myself well. If I do well, I say to myself that there's scope for improvement and if I don't play well, I just go back and train double. Zyada load nehi leta. (I don't take much pressure)," he added after a pause.
From the anguish of getting disqualified in his first nationals, to securing an Olympic berth he has experienced it all in his short career. Life has taught him to be stoic, to remain unaffected by the highs and lows. But a podium finish in Tokyo during 2021 would surely see his emotions get the better of him.