Nagoya: Elavenil Valarivan added another silver to India’s medal tally at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after finishing second in a tense women’s 10m air rifle individual final here at the Aichi Pref. General Shooting Gallery on Sunday.
Having already contributed to India’s silver in the team event earlier in the day, Elavenil came within touching distance of another medal of a different colour before Japan’s Hinata Taichi produced a decisive finish to claim gold with an Asian Games record score of 253.0.
Elavenil was firmly in control for much of the final. She opened strongly and remained at the top through the early stages, posting 53.1 after the first five shots, then extended her advantage as the elimination rounds began.
She continued to hold the lead deep into the final, with a series of strong scores keeping her ahead of a tightly packed field. Indian shooter Sonam Uttam Maskar, who had also been part of the team silver-winning combination, remained in medal contention before eventually finishing sixth.
The battle for gold went down to the final two shots. Elavenil entered the closing stages just 0.3 points ahead of Taichi. The Indian responded with a 10.4, but Taichi answered with a 10.6 to reduce the deficit.
With only one shot remaining, Elavenil needed a strong finish to retain top spot. She managed a 10.1, but Taichi held her nerve with a 10.2, which took the Japanese shooter to 253.0 and secured the gold, while Elavenil finished on 252.4 for silver.
For Elavenil, the individual silver capped a memorable day in Nagoya. After helping India secure silver in the team competition, she returned to the range and fought through a high-pressure final to claim another podium finish.
With two silver medals claimed inside just over an hour, Elavenil emerged as one of India’s standout performers in the shooting competition at the Asian Games.
–IANS
