Daijiworld Media Network - Nagoya
Nagoya (Japan), Sept 20: India's shooting campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games began on a high note, with experienced rifle shooter Elavenil Valarivan playing a starring role in the country's double-silver haul in the women's 10m air rifle competition.
Elavenil, one of India's most accomplished rifle shooters, helped the country secure silver in the team event before adding an individual silver later in the day.
The latter, however, came with a hint of disappointment as the Tamil Nadu-born shooter appeared firmly on course for gold for most of the final, only to see her challenge fade in the closing stages as Japan's Hinata Taichi held her nerve to emerge champion.
Elavenil's individual silver performance
The 2025 World Championship bronze medallist finished with 252.4 points, just 0.6 behind Taichi, who clinched gold with an Asian Games record 253.0. South Korea's Ban Hyo-jin, the reigning world champion and Paris Olympics gold medallist, took bronze with 230.4.
For Elavenil, the silver was her first individual medal at the Asian Games, having competed at the 2018 Jakarta and 2022 Hangzhou editions without making the podium.
She had looked in complete command for much of the final and seemed to have the gold within her sights. After the 17th shot, she held a 1.4-point advantage over Ban, with Taichi lying third. Even after the 21st shot, Elavenil was still ahead of the Japanese shooter by 0.2.
But as the pressure intensified, the margins narrowed. Elavenil entered the final two shots just 0.3 points behind Taichi. She responded with a 10.4, but the Japanese shooter produced a 10.6 to stretch her advantage to 0.5. With one shot remaining, Elavenil needed something special to turn the contest around. She managed 10.1. Taichi, however, held her nerve and answered with a 10.2 to secure gold and rewrite the Asian Games record.
Elavenil admitted that being in a commanding position may have allowed her concentration to dip slightly. "I think I knew that somewhere I was in the top three and although I was coming back to focusing on my process and my technique, I did get a bit relaxed. I really need to work on my finals some more. I think that's all. I felt I gave my absolute best and I'm glad it turned out that way," she said.
Before stepping onto the individual final range, however, Elavenil had already helped India open its shooting campaign with a silver medal in the women's 10m air rifle team event.
Alongside Sonam Uttam Maskar and Asian Games debutant Vidarsa Vinod, she combined to give India its first medal from the shooting ranges.
The Indian trio aggregated 1898.0 points to finish second behind a dominant Chinese team, which shattered the qualification world record with 1904.2. China bettered its own previous mark of 1902.0, set at the Asian Championships in Shymkent last August.
Debutante Vidarsa Vinod's crucial role
The battle for the second step on the podium was far tighter. Japan finished third with 1897.1, just 0.9 points behind India, with the Indian trio holding its nerve when it mattered.
Team medals are decided on the basis of the three shooters' qualification scores, making every shot significant.
Sonam, who finished third in qualification, led the Indian effort with an impressive 634.1. Elavenil added 633.5 to finish seventh, while Vidarsa shot 630.4 for 12th place.
Though Vidarsa missed the individual final, her contribution proved decisive in India's silver-medal finish. "Yes, it's a great achievement. It's another thing that I could not qualify for the final, but the team silver has given us a good start," Vidarsa said.
The 27-year-old from Kerala also showed impressive composure on her Asian Games debut, refusing to be overwhelmed by the occasion. "I was not nervous. I was confident and just focused on my shooting," she said.
Her performance was particularly noteworthy because she had taken up the 10m air rifle event only two months ago. Her principal discipline is the 50m rifle 3-positions event, but she adapted quickly enough to produce a score that helped India stay ahead of Japan in a tense team battle. "I am definitely confident that I will do much better in 50m 3-positions as it is my main event," Vidarsa said.
Looking ahead for Indian shooting
China's depth, meanwhile, was evident throughout qualification. Junior world champion Wang Zifei topped the standings with a stunning 638.8, setting a new qualification Asian record. Her compatriot Han Jiyan also made the individual final after scoring 633.8 to finish fifth.
China had three shooters inside the qualification positions, but with only two athletes from each country allowed to compete in the individual medal round, its third shooter missed out.
For India, the twin silvers offered an encouraging start to a shooting campaign carrying considerable expectations after the country's record haul of 22 medals—seven gold, nine silver and six bronze—at the Hangzhou Asian Games.