Shooter Karlesha Ghosh is all of 10 years and 8 months. But the Bengal girl is already showing a lot of promise.

For one, the pistol shooter is the youngest-ever from Bengal to qualify for the National Shooting Championship. The tournament was held in New Delhi last month.

The cut-off age to participate in a shooting competition is 10.

In the West Bengal State Shooting Championship in August last year, young Karlesha won four medals — gold in sub-youth women, two silver medals in junior women and youth women categories and, quite unexpectedly, a bronze in the women’s event.

No mean task that since the women’s age-group is for 21 years and above. She also picked up a silver at the West Bengal inter-school shooting championship.

From her childhood, the Class V girl of St Augustine’s Day School had an affinity towards sports and had started horse riding and swimming before her father Joy Ghosh decided to give her a try at shooting.

He enrolled her at the Ichapore Rifle Club. This was in 2023 and she took to pistol shooting like a duck to water.

Said Debasish Dey under whom she trains: “Pistol shooting, being a one-hand play, is tough. You need to develop muscles so kids can’t take to pistol shooting too early. But Karlesha amazes me. She executes perfectly whatever I tell her.”

“Oh I love shooting and I want to grow up to be a shooter,” Karlesha, a resident of Shyamnagar told The Telegraph. “I can carry on practising for 5-6 hours every day and enjoy watching other shooters too.”

Her untiring hours of practice surprise even coach Dey and her father, both of whom want her to take it slow and easy, so that the training does not seem a burden and there is no fear of an early burnout.

As of now, Dey wants her to concentrate on the current year and prepare hard for the Nationals and put up a better show.

Her father, motivated by her extraordinary performance, also intends to equip her with better gear.

As for the gutsy young girl, the sky is the limit and international medals are her target.