SportsPosted at: Sep 20 2026 12:27PM


Gold within reach, but Elavenil settles for second silver at Asian Games

Nagoya, Sept 20 (UNI) Gold appeared firmly within Elavenil Valarivan's grasp. She led for most of the women's 10m air rifle final, held her nerve through 20 shots and was still ahead after the 21st, but a tense closing exchange saw the Indian shooter finish with silver at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games here on Sunday.
Elavenil, who had already won a team silver earlier in the day, came agonisingly close to completing a golden double. She finished with 252.4 points, just 0.6 behind Japan's Hinata Taichi, who produced a decisive final shot to win gold with 253.0 and set a new Asian Games record.
South Korea's Ban Hyojin took bronze with 230.4 points.
Elavenil's control was evident from the start. She opened with 53.1 points, moved to 106.0 after 10 shots and extended her advantage to 126.9 after 12 shots. With 20 shots completed, she was still on top with 211.1, holding a slender 0.3-point lead over Taichi.
The momentum shifted in the closing stages.
Elavenil remained in front after the 21st shot, but Taichi drew level and then moved 0.3 points ahead following the 22nd. The Indian was left needing a strong finish to reclaim the gold.
The title ultimately came down to the final shot. Elavenil managed 10.1, but Taichi responded with 10.2 to seal the gold and deny the Indian by the narrowest of margins.
The silver nevertheless completed a remarkable day's work for Elavenil, who earlier combined with Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod to win the women's 10m air rifle team silver.
The Indian trio accumulated 1898.0 points, finishing behind China, which took gold with a world-record 1904.2 points. Japan won bronze with 1897.1.
Elavenil had shot 633.5 in qualification, while Sonam produced India's best qualifying score of 634.1 to also make the individual final. Vidarsa recorded 630.4.
Sonam finished sixth in the individual final with 167.0 points after contributing to the team's silver medal.
The two silvers marked India's first shooting medals at the Aichi-Nagoya Games and put Elavenil at the forefront of the country's early medal campaign.
Indian shooters had produced a record 22-medal haul at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, comprising seven gold, nine silver and six bronze.
For Elavenil, a 2025 World Championship bronze medallist, the day ended with two silver medals — but also the knowledge that gold had remained within her grasp until the very last shot.
UNI BDN
Tags: #Gold within reach# but Elavenil settles for second silver at Asian Games
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