Elavenil Valarivan produced another composed performance at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Sunday, winning silver in the women’s 10m air rifle individual event and giving India its second shooting medal of the Games.

The 27-year-old Indian shooter finished with 252.4 points, narrowly missing out on gold by just 0.6 points. Japan’s Hinata Taichi claimed the gold with 253.0 points, setting a new Asian Games record, while South Korea’s Ban Hyo-jin took bronze with 230.4 points.

The medal completed a silver double for Elavenil, who had earlier teamed up with Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod to win silver in the women’s 10m air rifle team event. India finished second behind China in that competition, opening the country’s medal account at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.

Elavenil leads for most of the final

Elavenil entered the individual final after posting 633.5 points in qualification, with compatriot Sonam Maskar also making the eight-shooter final. Sonam eventually finished sixth.

Elavenil quickly established herself as the shooter to beat. After the opening series, she led the field with 53.1 points, while Sonam had 52.1.

The Indian continued her steady run as the elimination phase began, producing scores of 10.6 and 10.7 in successive shots. She remained at the top after 12 shots with 126.9 points, while Sonam was fourth on 125.4.

Elavenil then strengthened her advantage with scores of 10.8 and 10.7, reaching 148.4 after 14 shots. She continued to hold the lead through the next stages of the final, maintaining her composure as the field was gradually reduced.

Gold slips away in dramatic finish

After 20 shots, Elavenil remained in front with 211.1 points, but Japan’s Hinata was closing in rapidly on 210.8.

The battle for gold intensified over the final shots. Elavenil scored 10.5 with her 21st shot, but Hinata and Ban continued to apply pressure. After 22 shots, Elavenil had 231.9 points, just behind Hinata’s 232.2. The Japanese shooter then held her nerve in the closing moments.

Elavenil managed 10.1 with her final shot, while Hinata responded with 10.2 to secure the gold. The Japanese shooter finished on 253.0, with Elavenil settling for silver on 252.4.

Another Silver for India’s shooting contingent

Elavenil’s individual medal came only hours after she helped India secure silver in the team event alongside Sonam and Vidarsa. The trio registered 1,898 points, finishing behind China’s 1,904.2, while Japan took bronze with 1,897.1.

For Elavenil, the two medals mark a memorable start to India’s shooting campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, with the experienced shooter emerging as one of the country's early medal performers.