Exclusive | Gifted airgun yields India a gold medal: 41-year-old IPS Ingit Pratap Singh targets Olympic podium

NEW DELHI: In July, some joked that the searing heatwave made it feel like it had been a long month. Like an invisible dragon breathing fire across the region. But even amid the tyranny of the sun, one post on Instagram managed to proverbially cool the summer glare.It read: “Happy Birthday papa!! Out of the 70 years of your life so far, I have had the privilege of being your son for 41 years... Hoping to continue this partnership for as long as possible!!! Thank you for believing in me, letting me commit my mistakes... This success is yours as much as mine!!”The post carried a picture of IPS officer Ingit Pratap Singh with his father, the son proudly wearing a gold medal around his neck, the medal he won in the 10-metre air rifle event at the World Police and Fire Games in Birmingham, Alabama this July.The story began when a young Ingit unwrapped an airgun gifted by his father on his eighth birthday.“We used to go to our rooftop every weekend to practice 20 shots. Slowly, the love grew, and I knew I wanted to do something for the country through this sport,” he recalled during an interaction with TimesofIndia.com.Fast forward to 2025, Singh's cabinet boasts a silver at the Delhi State Shooting Championship in 2022, a bronze in Winnipeg 2023, and now, his most glittering prize yet, a gold in Birmingham 2025.If Singh’s shooting journey is indeed experiencing an upward trajectory today, it is only because of the shadows he walked in earlier.Growing up, he dreamt of serving in the Indian Army.Despite clearing the NDA and then joining the Indian Military Academy, destiny struck him down both times, first with a diagnosis of abdominal tuberculosis, and later with a devastating knee injury that saw him medically boarded out.But Singh, also the joint director general at the Competition Commission of India, never gave up.“I knew corporate jobs were not my cup of tea. I wanted to serve the country, wear a uniform,” he adds.The IPS became his mission. After 18-hour study days and three attempts, he cracked the Civil Services in 2011.At the police academy, Singh, at a very early age, proved himself a natural marksman.But it wasn’t until his Delhi posting, after years in Andaman & Nicobar Islands, that he truly rekindled his childhood dream.During his tenure there, the Lieutenant Governor appointed him as Director of Sports, a role that gave Singh the chance to create something lasting.“By God’s grace, I was able to establish the Andaman & Nicobar Sports Academy,” he recalls.Those years, Singh says, were a blessing in disguise: “Once I came here to Delhi at the Karni Singh shooting range, I rediscovered my love for shooting."Since I had time at Andaman, it’s not such a crazy place as Delhi, I could focus. There was not so much crime, not so many distractions. I wasn’t too busy there, and that gave me space to start again."He built a makeshift range at home in Mayabunder, bought an air pistol for casual shooting.Two transfers in two years, and Singh suddenly found himself in Delhi.“I got a second-hand air rifle through my close friend Sanjeev Rajput, who himself is an Olympian and has shot shoulder-to-shoulder with legends like Abhinav Bindra and Gagan Narang,” he says.Through Rajput, Singh connected with Olympian and world record-holder Suma Shirur, who now coaches the Indian shooting team at her Lakshya Shooting Academy in Navi Mumbai.“I enrolled there, took a few classes, and my scores began to improve steadily,” he recalls.The progress soon translated into results: a silver medal at the Delhi State Shooting Championship in 2022, followed by appearances in three nationals, each pushing his scores higher, inching him closer to the elite bracket of India’s shooters.Between his duties as a senior police officer in Delhi, his family responsibilities, and his punishing shooting schedule, Singh’s day begins at 5:30am and often ends late after two to three hours of evening practice.“I enjoy shooting," he admits. "But more than me, the sacrifices are made by my family. My wife, my eight-month-old daughter, my parents, they adjust to my absences, my discipline, my restrictions. I don’t eat pizza or sweets because I need to stay in athlete mode. But the real sacrifice is theirs."Now, the target is clear: an Olympic podium finish.As per the qualification process, Singh has already achieved the minimum qualification score at the state and national levels. The upcoming nationals in Bhopal this December could open the door to selection trials for the Indian shooting team.“Top 12 shooters from these trials make it to the team, and from there, the rotation begins for major championships,” Singh explains.But the path is far from easy. “Professional shooters train 8 to 10 hours daily. I manage 2–3 hours on weekdays, maybe 6 on weekends. I need more time, and crucially, I need sponsorship. Shooting is an expensive sport: rifles, ammunition, and travel. Exposure at international competitions is vital,” he sighs.Yet, for Singh, the message he wants to pass on is simple: “These are the five words I always finish with - Never, never, never, never give up.”