Asian Shooting Championship: Gold For 10m Air Rifle

Indian shooter Elavenil Valarivan secured the gold medal in the women’s 10m air rifle event at the 16th Asian Championships in Shymkent on Friday (August 22, 2025), showcasing her usual calm demeanor during the final.

A 26 year old from Tamil Nadu, who has bagged several gold medals in World Cups, scored 253.6 to secure the top spot in the final and earn her second gold in this continental event.

Valarivan’s medal marked just the second senior individual gold for India in the continental event, where the nation is leading the way thanks to impressive performances from its junior shooters.

China’s Xinlu Peng earned the silver with a score of 253, while Korea’s Eunji Kwon took the bronze with a score of 231.2.

Elavenil Valarivan – Her first gold was back in 2019 in Taiwan, where she was sharpening her skills under the guidance of Olympic medalist shooter Gagan Narang at his Gun for Glory Academy.

This marked Valarivan’s first solo podium finish in the current event, having previously secured a silver and bronze in the team competitions.

Valarivan, recognized for her strong focus and mental toughness when the pressure’s on, is setting her sights on achieving greatness at next year’s Asian Games. But first, she’s looking to make a mark at the ISSF World Championships, where she has a team bronze but hasn’t snagged any individual awards.

Another Indian competitor, Mehuli Ghosh, wrapped up in fourth place with a score of 208.9 in the final featuring eight shooters.

Valarivan secured the eighth spot in the final with a score of 630.7. Ghosh initially placed 10th in the event with a score of 630.3, but he made it to the final because two other Indian competitors ahead of him – Arya Borse (633.2) and Sonam Maskar (630.5) – opted out since they were only aiming for ranking points.

Anantjeet Singh Naruka secured India’s first senior gold in the men’s skeet event.

Double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker took home the bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol event.

Juniors are still in the spotlight

The team of Shambhavi Shravan, Hrudya Shri Kondur, and Isha Anil clinched the gold medal in the women’s junior 10m air rifle team event with a total score of 1896.2, setting both a junior world and Asian record.

The squads from China and South Korea took home the silver and bronze medals, respectively.