NEW DELHI: Elavenil Valarivan walked away from the Asian Games shooting range with two silver medals on Sunday, but there was also a nagging sense of what might have been after the Indian shooter let a commanding lead slip away in the final stages of the women’s 10m air rifle individual event.The 27-year-old had looked firmly on course for gold after building a lead of nearly 1.5 points, but three loose shots towards the end changed the complexion of the final. Japan’s Taichi Hinata eventually held her nerve to win gold with an Asian Games record 253.0, while Elavenil settled for silver with 252.4. South Korea’s Ban Hyojin took bronze with 230.4.“I did get a bit relaxed. I think I really need to work on my finals some more,” Elavenil said after the final.“I knew that I was in the top three. Although I was coming back to focusing on my process and my technique, I did get a bit relaxed. Once the medal was assured, the pressure was released. It was more about me getting a little easy on my process,” she added.
From gold in sight to another silver
Elavenil was still only 0.3 points behind Hinata heading into the final two shots. She managed 10.4 against the Japanese shooter’s 10.6, with the deficit increasing to 0.5. Elavenil then shot 10.1 with her final attempt, while Hinata responded with 10.2 to seal gold by 0.6 points.Rather than dwell on the missed opportunity, Elavenil viewed the experience as another lesson.“I felt I gave my absolute best,” she said. “I think it is all a learning process.”“Post-Paris, it has been like this, and I am very grateful that I have been getting a lot of opportunities to learn and experiment and utilise my potential to my absolute best,” she said.The silver was her second medal of the day after she had earlier combined with Sonam Uttam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod to win silver in the women’s 10m air rifle team event. The Indian trio finished with 1898 points, behind gold medallists China, while Japan were fourth.Elavenil was India’s standout performer in the team competition, scoring 633.5 to qualify for the individual final. Sonam also made the final and finished sixth with 167.0.
India’s Vidarsa Vinod, Sonam Maskar and Elavenil Valarivan pose for photographers. (PTI Photo)
Two silvers, a medal milestone
The double silver marked a significant milestone for Elavenil, who had waited eight years for an Asian Games medal after making her debut at Jakarta 2018.“The first conversation me and my coach were having was that it has been eight years since my first Asian Games to my second,” she said.“It was more about being very grateful that I was getting the opportunity to be a part of the contingent and represent my country.”Her coach Neha Chavan was not in Nagoya, but had sent her a message before the competition: “You have trained your absolute best. There’s nothing more you can do on this given day. All I would wish for you is to follow the technique, trust yourself and be courageous, as you’ve always been.”“I’m very grateful that I’ve got her by my side all the time, even when she is not there,” Elavenil said.The two medals also offered an early boost to India’s shooting campaign. “I think it is going to boost the entire team. Knowing that on the first day we have done two medals, going on from here, I think it is just on,” she said.And after the disappointment of missing gold, her immediate priority was refreshingly simple.“I think next is going to be rest and recovery. I’m missing my bed terribly,” she said, laughing. “I just want to get back and celebrate it with my coaches and my teammates.”
