Call it a moment of pride. Elavenil Valarivan became only the third shooter after Apurvi Chandela and Anjali Bhagwat to win a senior ISSF World Cup gold in the 10m Air Rifle in Rio de Janeiro.
The Cuddalore-born young shooter has done the nation proud and turned the arclights on Tamilnadu with her exemplary feat. Remember last year she shattered the world record and claimed the gold medal in 10m women’s air rifle event of the season’s first junior ISSF World Cup.
Elavenil Valarivan had narrowly missed a place on the podium at the ISSF World Cup in Munich where she finished 4th in the final.
However, on Wednesday, Elavenil was at her best, pipping senior compatriots Anjum Moudgil and Apurvi Chandela. Elavenil is coached by Neha Chavan and she won her first medal at the age of 13. She moved to Ahmedabad at the age of two and her parents (both PhD scholars), have always been very encouraging of whatever she chose to do.
Her mentor Gagan Narang said that she is an exceptional shooter with a good head on her shoulders and has excelled at the junior level, winning big medals. So, it was only a matter of time before she replicated the effort at the senior stage. For those who saw the finals, there were teenagers from other countries too. It’s time for Elavenil to shine. This is just the beginning.