Elavenil Valarivan Clinches Gold, Shambhavi Kshirsagar Sets Junior Record at Asian C'ships

Olympian Elavenil Valarivan claimed the women's 10m Air Rifle gold after a tight final against Japan's Misaki Nobata. Shambhavi Kshirsagar won junior gold and broke the Asian Junior record with a score of 253.7. India dominated the fourth day of competition, winning ten gold medals, including victories from Saurabh Chaudhary and Ojasvi Thakur. The host nation's total medal tally now stands at an impressive 43.

Key Points: India Dominates Asian Rifle/Pistol Championships with 10 Gold Medals

  • Elavenil Valarivan wins 10m Air Rifle gold
  • Shambhavi Kshirsagar sets new Asian Junior record
  • India wins 10 gold medals on fourth day
  • Saurabh Chaudhary secures gold in 50m Pistol
  • India's total medal count reaches 43
3 min read

Asian Rifle/Pistol C'ships: Elavenil wins gold, Shambhavi breaks junior record for top-of-the-podium finish

Elavenil Valarivan wins 10m Air Rifle gold, Shambhavi Kshirsagar sets a junior record, and India secures 10 golds on Day 4 of the Asian Championships.

"She maintained her composure to stay at the top - on Elavenil Valarivan's gold medal performance"

New Delhi, Feb 7

Olympian Elavenil Valarivan narrowly defeated Japan's Misaki Nobata to win gold in the 10m Air Rifle women's event. Meanwhile, Shambhavi Kshirsagar set a new record at the Asian Junior Finals and took gold in the junior category at the Asian Rifle/Pistol Championship 20206, held at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi.

Meghana Sajjanar also made it to the podium with a bronze medal, and along with Manyata Singh and Aneesha Sharma, helped India achieve a clean sweep of the Junior women's medals.

India maintained their dominance in the championship, winning ten gold medals on the fourth day of competition, bringing their total medal count to 43, with 27 gold, 10 silver, and eight bronze. Ojasvi Thakur also earned gold in the women's youth category.

India began the day by dominating the podium in the 50m Men's Pistol event, with former 10m Air Pistol World No 1 Saurabh Chaudhary taking gold. He was followed by Kamaljeet Chaudhary and current World Champion Ravinder Singh, who won silver and bronze, respectively. Additionally, Yogesh Kumar secured gold in the junior category.

Elavenil was in fifth place after two series but gradually moved into the lead by the 18th shot. She maintained her composure to stay at the top, with Nobata Misaki and Meghana close behind. Arya Borse, who was in medal position until the 18th shot, missed out after scoring a low 9.8, followed by two 10.2's. Nobata finished her finals with two consecutive 10.8s, while Elavenil achieved ten hits averaging 10.6 in the elimination stage, including one 10.9. The Indian team also secured gold with a combined score of 1892.6.

In the Junior finals, Shambhavi set a new Asian Junior record of 253.7, surpassing Isha Anil Taksale's 253.1 from Jakarta in 2024. She started strongly and maintained her lead to win gold, finishing with a four-point margin over Manyata Singh, who scored 249.7. Her last eight shots were 10.7, 10.7, 10.8, 10.8, 10.9, 10.5, 10.9, and 10.7, demonstrating her dominance. Aneesha Sharma earned bronze with a final score of 227.5. Together, Shambhavi, Aneesha, and Sandrata Roy secured the team gold with a total score of 1884.2.

Ojasvi Thakur secured all the gold medals available for India on that day, winning the Youth category with a final score of 250.4. Sri Lanka's Umaya Ovitigala Withanage took silver, while Yasmin Figila Achadiat earned bronze. Ojasvi also teamed up with Anvii Vikram Rathod and Hrudya Shri Kondur to win the team gold with a score of 1890.6.

Other Results

50m Pistol Men

Gold - Saurabh Chaudhary (India) - 563-12x

Silver - Kamaljeet Chaudhary (India) - 561-16x

Bronze - Ravinder Singh (India) - 559-10x

50m Pistol Men Team

Gold - India

Silver - Uzbekistan

Bronze - Vietnam

50m Pistol Junior Men

Gold - Yogesh Kumar (India) - 557-10x

Silver - Sodikjon Abdullaev (Uzbekistan) - 544-10x

Bronze - Guntajpreet Singh (India) - 542-7x

The medals for the mixed team event in Air Rifle will be awarded on Sunday.

- IANS

Share this article:

Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
As someone who follows shooting sports closely, I must say the depth of talent in India is astonishing. Clean sweeps in junior categories! This bodes well for Paris 2024. Shambhavi's last eight shots were pure class.
P
Priya S
So many women champions! Elavenil, Shambhavi, Ojasvi, Meghana... our girls are absolutely dominating. 🥇 This is the kind of news that makes my day. More coverage for women's sports, please!
R
Rohit P
43 medals with 27 gold? That's not just dominance, that's complete annihilation! Our shooters are on another level. Kudos to the coaches and support staff at the Karni Singh Range.
M
Michael C
While the results are fantastic, I hope the federation is also focusing on the mental health and long-term development of these young athletes. The pressure to constantly perform at this level must be immense.
K
Kavya N
Shambhavi's record-breaking performance gives me goosebumps! Beating your own teammate's record shows healthy competition. The junior pipeline is overflowing with talent. Future is secure!
V
Vikram M
Saurabh Chaudhary is back with a gold! The former world no. 1 still has

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50