I could have taken better calls: Silver medallist Valarivan on women's 10m Air Rifle individual final at Asian Games

The womens 10m Air Rifle event delivered two podium finishes for India, giving the country a strong start on the first full day of competition. Elavenil Valarivan secured silver in the individual final, while Valarivan, Sonam Uttam Maskar and Vidarsa Kochalumkal Vinod combined to claim silver in the team event.

In the individual event, Valarivan finished second with 252.4 points behind Japans Hinata Taichi, who clinched gold with 253.0 points, while South Koreas Ban Hyojin took the bronze medal with 230.4 points.

Speaking at a virtual media interaction, Elavenil Valarivan acknowledged that she could have made better decisions in the final three shots, but said she was focusing on the lessons from the experience. She added that being more patient and working on her breathing could have helped her perform better under pressure.

"I think there could be a lot of things that I could have done different, but again, the learning is the part that Im more looking into right now. Of course, I could have taken better calls, which I didnt. And hence, the learning is what Im taking from the last three shots," she said.

I could have been a little more patient in taking my shots and possibly worked a little more on my breathing," she added.

Elavenil entered the final in impressive form and took the lead after the first series with a score of 53.1. Sonam Maskar, the other Indian shooter in the final, finished her opening series with 52.1 and was placed seventh.

After 10 shots, Elavenil remained on top with a score of 106.0, while Sonam registered 104.2 to sit in joint fifth place.

As the elimination rounds began, Elavenil continued her consistent performance with a 10.6 in her first shot. She followed it with a 10.3, while Sonam also produced strong shots, including a 10.6 and a 10.7. After 12 shots, Elavenil led the standings with 126.9, while Sonam was fourth with 125.5.

Elavenil maintained her dominance in the final stages, hitting 10.8 and 10.7 in her next two shots to extend her lead with a score of 148.4 after 14 shots. Sonam was fourth at that stage with 146.6.

In the next series, Elavenil scored 10.7 and 10.5 to remain at the top, while Sonam's 9.9, followed by 10.5, saw her finish sixth in the final.

Elavenil continued her excellent run with a 10.6 in her 17th shot and a 10.1 in her 18th to lead with 190.3 points. She remained ahead after 20 shots with a score of 211.1, with Japan's Hinata Taichi close behind at 210.8.

The Indian shooter was in medal contention after the 21st shot, where she scored 10.5, but Hinata and South Korea's Ban Hyojin kept the pressure on. After 22 shots, Elavenil moved to second place with a score of 231.9, behind Hinata's 232.2.

With the final shot, Elavenil scored 10.1, while Hinata finished with 10.2 to secure the gold medal. Elavenil settled for silver after a strong display in the final.

Notably, the ongoing Asian Games have been marred by reports of accommodation issues faced by Indian athletes in Aichi-Nagoya. Elavenil acknowledged the accommodation issues faced by athletes in Nagoya but said she focused on blocking out distractions and sticking to her training and technique once she stepped onto the shooting range.

"I think as shooters, we generally live on one lane. What we train is to block out the entire world when we are on the lane. So yes, there were a lot of issues with the arrangements here when we arrived in Nagoya. But I think at the end of the day, we are here to do something that we have been training on for the past few months, and my goal was to follow my technique. Anything other than that is a distraction for me. The moment I am on the lane, the entire focus comes on how efficiently I could follow my process and come back to it every single time I was getting distracted, she said. (ANI)