A RevSportz Exclusive
The ongoing 16th Asian Shooting Championships in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, is perhaps the best ever campaign so far for the Indian contingent. The Indian shooters have asserted their domination in the Central Asian country, bagging 41 medals as of now, to China’s 21, placed at no. 2 in the table. Out of the 41 medals, 23 are gold, 8 silver and 10 bronze medals, including team events and junior categories, and still there are 6 days to go in the tournament.
On Saturday, 23rd, in the 10m air rifle mixed team event, the Indian pair, Elavenil Valarivan and Arjun Babuta, bagged the top podium with a 17-11 score against China.
On the previous day, in the individual event, Elavenil had bagged another gold with a World Record score of 253.5, while Arjun in the individual event finished 5th. In the 2024 Paris Olympics, both Elavenil and Arjun missed out on podium finishes – while the former missed on the final round, the latter finished 4th. Since then, they both have performed through the ISSF World Cup phases, and together bagged a gold this time in the continental championship.
RevSportz caught up with them after their event. Here are some of the excerpts:
Q: Please describe the moment of winning the medal, the celebration and the tension…
Elavenil: I think it was a really sweet moment that, you know, we had won, and then, we were just celebrating. It was really a great final because the opposition team was also quite strong, and we were head-to-head with each other, competing for the lead points. So, I think it was a sweet, sweet win for both of us.
Arjun: Definitely a great moment, and I am more impressed with her performance, especially in the qualification. We did really great. We finished in the top rank and with a great score. So, I am impressed with the way we used our tactics while performing, and they are only going to take us forward. So, we knew we would do great in finals.
READ: “Next step will be to raise the baseline scores”: Gagan Narang on Elavenil Valarivan’s Gold
Q: Give us a throwdown of how you actually felt in the final of your individual match, and what changes have you made in the last few months?
Elavenil: I think it was quite an intense final because everybody was shooting really well. The Korean was doing amazing, and Mehuli (Ghosh) was shooting really well. I think it was just a matter of one or two shots that could have changed the entire ranking.
Arjun: So, I think it was quite an intense final throughout, and I enjoyed playing it. I think it was a great experience for me, and I think I have been learning from Munich. I wanted to improve it, and I think I am on the right track. So, yes, it’s working very well. I am personally very happy with her performance.
Q: We spoke after the ISSF World Cup in Lima, and after that, again, you’re back on the podium. What are the changes you have made from that phase till now, and how do you see yourself as a more developed athlete?
Arjun: I experimented with a few equipments and I wanted to try a few other things. So, I have gained more confidence with all that and looking forward, I have gained much more experience and knowledge for next year. Next year we have much more important competitions like the Asian Games and the World Championship.
So, here, I just wanted to invest this time to build myself for that, and I think I did it quite nicely, and I can see the things that I have worked on that are actually working in my favour right now, and in future I can see much better results as well.
Q: Thoughts on the biggest ever contingent by NRAI and the overall shooting talent pool in India at the moment?
Arjun: I am very happy to see so many shooters competing at this stage, and they are all doing so good. That is why we are finishing almost double the number of medals of the (team in the) second place. We are ranked 1, and I am really happy to see all of the young shooters shooting so good.
And I especially feel so proud that we have been able to contribute some part of it. And they are a good hope for the future of the Indian shooting team as an Indian shooting team.
Elavenil: I think the competition inside the team itself is so high that we are bound to give our absolute best every given day. That puts in a good competitive spirit amongst us. It’s not that we want to fight each other and win, but it’s more about giving our own best and being the best that we can.
So, I think it is the healthy competition that is driving us towards achieving bigger heights. When it comes to the world stage, it is easier for us to put our best selves forward.
Q: How do you look at the upcoming Shooting League in India?
Elavenil: It will give a good spotlight to the sport. Because you know, shooting as a sport has not really reached that level. Many people in India are into other sports.
So, I think when it comes to shooting and the league, I think I am very glad that you know an outreach is happening and people are getting to know about the sport. So, I think this will help gain a lot of audience, gain a lot of new talent coming into the sport. I am looking forward to seeing how the league works.
Arjun: I think it will be a great step for Indian shooting. With this shooting league, I think it will get more publicity, and people will fall for shooting more.
They can try shooting as a hobby or sport, and I think overall, shooting will develop in India through this. People would get to know more about the sport and how the Indian shooting team is doing so great at the world level, in the Olympics, as well as in all other world stage tournaments. So overall, I feel very happy about this initiative and this league.
WATCH: Elavenil Valarivan & Arjun Babuta: Asian Gold, Shooting League of India, World Championships & More!
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