Indian shooter Elavenil Valarivan captured the women’s 10m air rifle gold at the 16th Asian Shooting Championships on Friday, sealing one of the most significant victories of her career at the age of 26.
Valarivan, known for her calm temperament on the firing line, shot a score of 253.6 in the final, holding off China’s teenage prodigy Xinlu Peng(253.0) and Korea’s Eunji Kwon (231.2) to clinch the title. The gold was India’s third in the senior events at Shymkent and only her second individual gold at this level, coming six years after her maiden Asian crown in 2019.
For Valarivan, the triumph was more than just another addition to her medal tally. It marked a return to the top of the podium in a discipline where she has often been hailed as one of India’s most consistent performers, yet sometimes struggled to translate potential into major individual titles.
Her journey to the final was not without hurdles. She had qualified in eighth place with a score of 630.7, just sneaking into the last-eight shootout. But in the final, she turned the pressure into poise, stringing together a series of high 10s, including a perfect 10.9, to outlast her rivals.
Teammate Mehuli Ghosh also featured in the final, finishing just outside the medals in fourth place with 208.9. Ghosh, along with Valarivan and Ananya Naidu, had earlier picked up a team bronze in the same event.
Valarivan’s success added to a growing list of Indian medals in Shymkent. Anantjeet Singh Naruka had opened India’s gold account earlier in the week with victory in men’s skeet, while Manu Bhaker, the double Olympic medallist, has already secured two bronzes in the women’s 10m air pistol. In the junior section, India’s dominance has been emphatic, with the trio of Shambhavi Shravan, Hrudya Shri Kondur, and Isha Anil even setting a junior world record in the women’s 10m air rifle team event.
Born in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, and later training in Gujarat, Elavenil Valarivan’s rise has been steady but demanding. She first broke into the spotlight at the Gun for Glory Academy, mentored by Olympic medallist Gagan Narang. By 2019, she had claimed her first Asian title in Taiwan, and the same year, she won gold at the World Cup Final in Putian, China.
She has since represented India at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics, though an Olympic podium still eludes her. Along the way, she has gathered an impressive haul of World Cup medals, a World Championship bronze, and the prestigious Arjuna Award in 2022.
What sets her apart is her unwavering composure in high-stakes finals. On Friday, as her younger Chinese rival kept the contest alive until the very last shot, Valarivan’s steady 10.6 and 10.7 sealed the crown.
Currently ranked just outside the world’s top 10, Valarivan is poised to break back into elite territory. Once a world No. 1, she is determined to reclaim her position among the very best.
Her next big targets are the ISSF World Championships and the 2026 Asian Games, where she has yet to win individual honours. For a shooter who has already conquered the World Cup circuit, these represent the last remaining frontiers before the ultimate challenge, the Olympic podium.
For Indian shooting, Valarivan’s gold in Shymkent is another reminder of the depth in the women’s rifle squad. For her personally, it is validation that hard work pays off, even when results don’t always align with promise.
At 26, Elavenil Valarivan has plenty of years ahead in her career. But in Shymkent, she reminded Asia, and perhaps the world, that she is still a force to be reckoned with, determined, and always ready to aim for history.
Yash Desai is a renowned journalist with over 10+ years of experience covering sports around the world. He began his career as a News Reporter in Delhi, India, and got an opportunity to cover several World events, including the Olympics, Paralympics, and World Games. He often felt that women’s sports are sidelined and given step-motherly treatment by the mainstream media. To bridge this gap and to build an equal playing field, Yash co-founded FemaleInSports and is currently working as a Lead Editor here.
