Olympian rifle shooter Elavenil Valarivan won silver medals in individual women’s 10m air rifle and team event at Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Elavenil Valarivan was cruising towards a gold medal before slipping up in the final few shots and eventually settling for silver in the women’s 10m air rifle event at the 20th Asian Games in Japan on Sunday.
Elavenil won the individual silver and combined with Sonam Uttam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod to win silver in the team event as well. They were India’s first medals from the shooting ranges at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery.
Elavenil finished with 252.4 points, just 0.6 behind Japan’s Taichi Hinata, who clinched gold with an Asian Games record 253.0. Paris Olympics champion South Korean shooter Ban Hyo-jin, also the reigning world champion, won bronze. The 21-year-old Japanese shooter, who has limited international experience and is ranked 49th in the world, produced a sensational performance in front of her home fans. She held her nerve and fought back to clinch the gold.
Elavenil did well to win her first medal from the Asian Games. “I am a bit disappointed because I had the lead and then fumbled. There is a lot more to learn from the finals,” said Elavenil during an interaction. “I have been working on the finals, at what pace I should be shooting. In the final, the time is less and you have to be at your absolute best in the given time. I am trying to improve and experiment.”
She, however, did not feel that pressure had played a role. “I would say no. If pressure had to play a role, it would have been from the beginning of the final. It was more about following my process. There is a lot to be learnt and experimented with in the finals and qualification, which I have been doing.”
Elavenil has been one of India’s most consistent shooters over the years, but it is only in the last year that she has stepped up her performances in major competitions. She has been nervy in finals and given up advantageous positions in the past, but has now worked on her approach. “There are times when you have self-doubts, especially when you are working towards something and results do not come. But the team around me stayed solid. My coaches, physio, everyone supported me a lot and they have been working tirelessly for me. Their support kept me going.”
“It is a very joyous day. My first Games medal and I will cherish it to the core,” said Elavenil, who has competed at two Olympics. “I have now started to enjoy the sport. That has been the biggest shift.”
EOM
