It went from near-certain to heartbreak in the span of three shots. Elavenil Valarivan led Japan’s Taichi Hinata by nearly 1.5 points during the final stages of the women’s 10m air rifle individual event at the Asian Games. But a lapse in concentration—what she described as the 'pressure releasing' once the medal was secured—cost her the gold. Hinata held firm for an Asian Games record 253.0, leaving the Indian shooter with a silver at 252.4. It’s a margin so thin it barely registers, yet it’s the difference between the top of the podium and the second step.
The turning point arrived with two shots remaining. Valarivan was just 0.3 points back when Hinata fired a 10.6 to her 10.4, stretching the gap to 0.5. Then came the final shot. Valarivan’s 10.1 couldn’t match Hinata’s 10.2. The Japanese shooter sealed gold by 0.6 points. Valarivan, 27, didn’t dwell on it. “I did get a bit relaxed,” she admitted. “Once the medal was assured, I got a little easy on my process.”
This silver wasn’t her only medal of the day. Earlier, she teamed up with Sonam Uttam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod to take silver in the team event, scoring 1898 points behind China. Valarivan was the standout in that race, posting 633.5 to qualify for the individual final. Sonam also made the cut but finished sixth in the individual event.
For Valarivan, this double silver breaks an eight-year drought. Her previous Asian Games medal was actually none—she competed at Jakarta 2018 without a podium finish. “It was more about being very grateful that I was getting the opportunity to be a part of the contingent,” she said. Her coach Neha Chavan, watching from afar, sent a message: trust the technique. Valarivan said she’s already planning to rest. “I’m missing my bed terribly,” she laughed.
The next challenge is keeping this momentum. India’s shooting campaign starts strong with two silvers on day one. The focus now shifts to the upcoming events, where the team hopes to convert this confidence into more hardware.