Asian C'ship: Elavenil Valarivan Shoots Gold In Mixed Team Event

India's 10m rifle mixed team pairing of shooting prodigy Elavenil Valarivan and Hriday Hazarika clinched gold at the 11th Asian Championship with a junior world record score in the final on Tuesday. The event is being held in Kuwait City. Another Indian pair of Mehuli Ghosh and Arjun Babuta also won bronze in the same event.

"This is the best Diwali gift to the nation," said Raninder Singh, president of National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), News18 reported

The 19-year-old junior shooter, Elavenil, and Hriday had earlier qualified for the five-team final, securing the third position with a combined score of 835.8. Mehuli and Arjun scored 833.5 to qualify in fourth place.

GOLD medal for India in Asian Shooting Championships via Elavenil Valarivan & Hriday Hazarika in 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team (Junior) event.

To top it they did it with World Record Junior score of 502.1 in Final.

Arjun Babuta & Mehuli Ghosh won Bronze in the same event. pic.twitter.com/sWFtXHu3ry

— India_AllSports (@India_AllSports) November 6, 2018

Scorecard 2018: How Well Have Our Sportswomen Done?

• Elavenil is the new sensational shooter in the country who clinched gold in the women’s 10m Air Rifle event at the ISSF Junior World Cup in Sydney. She became world champion at the ISSF Munich World Cup. And also claimed a silver medal at the Changwon World Cup.
• Last year in November, she topped the selection trials with a world record-equalling score of 252.1. She edged past Rio Olympian Ayonika Paul and Elizabeth Koshie. A month later, Elavenil became the 10m air rifle champion at the senior Nationals in Kerala with a score of 250.6 in the final.
• Elavenil broke the previous record held by fellow Indian shooter Mehuli Ghosh. This was her first participation in the finals. The teen knocked out shooters from Chinese Taipei and China and claimed gold with 249.8 points.
• She trains at Olympic medalist Gagan Narang’s Gun For Glory Academy. Besides her individual podium finish at the season’s first junior ISSF World Cup, Elavenil also combined with Shreya Agrawal and Zeena Khitta to claim the team gold medal.

India’s tally at the event so far is six medals. It comprises one gold, three silvers and two bronze medals.

Feature Image Credit: Deccan Chronicle

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