Shooting star

At the 66th National Shooting Championship Competition (Shotgun) 2023 held at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range, Delhi in October-November 2023, 17-year-old Yeshaya Contractor representing Gujarat secured two gold medals in the senior and junior women’s double trap shotgun events as also a bronze medal in the team event. In trapshooting, participants use shotguns for shooting at saucer-shaped clay targets flung into the air from a spring device called a trap. For a double trap, two targets are released simultaneously.

End November also saw her participating in the Team India trial rounds for 2024. "Her determination, passion and love for the sport propelled her to achieve a Renowned Shot Certification at the 63rd, 64th, 65th and the 66th National Shooting Championship Competitions in shotgun events,” wrote her mother Sherryna when Parsiana requested her for details on Yeshaya’s sports accomplishments. A Renowned Shooter certification is accorded to a person who has participated in a National Shooting Championship in an open men’s or women’s event and has attained the minimum qualifying score prescribed by the National Rifle Association, according to lawinsider.com. As explained by Yeshaya, this certification helps in acquiring an import permit for cartridges and ammunition required to practice. Prior to a meet Yeshaya spends a week or 10 days in Poona for intensive coaching from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. under Siddhartha Pawar. The shooter gives credit to her "supportive mother” for her constant encouragement, even permitting the 12th grade commerce student at St Mary’s School, Dahod, a break from studies.

Yeshaya began her shooting journey at the age of 13 at the Trap Shooting Range at Savli Taluka Rifle Association. "Guns have been in the family for a very long time,” said Yeshaya. While her grandfather and his father practiced shooting for pleasure, her father Hafiz and sister Zoisha are state medalists. Yeshaya’s first competitive event was the 38th Gujarat State Trap Shooting Competition in 2019 where she secured one gold, two silver and three bronze medals in trap and double trap junior, senior and team events. The same year, she secured a gold at the 7th West Zone Shooting Championship in shotgun events in Baroda. Thereafter she has continued to win medals at the 39th, 40th, 41st and recently the 42nd Gujarat State Championships and represented Gujarat at the 36th and 37th National Games organized by the Indian Olympic Association.

At the 75th Independence Day Celebrations in 2022, the collector of Dahod presented Yeshaya a certificate of honor in appreciation of her winning a silver medal in the Junior Women’s Double Trap Grand Prix at Lima, Peru in 2021, organized by the International Shooting Sport Federation.