‘Have started enjoying the sport more after Paris Olympics’, says Elavenil Valarivan after double crown at Asian Shooting Championship 2025

Elavenil Valarivan was one of the star performers in the recent Asian Shooting Championship in Kazakhstan as she clinched a double crown — the women’s air rifle gold and the mixed air rifle gold with Arjun Babuta.

The two-time Olympian and only 26 years of age, Elavenil already has already tons of achievements already in the international circuit.

In fact, she had won the women’s gold in the Asian Championship way back in 2019. The cheerful Elavenil, who trains at the Gun For Glory centre in Chennai at the Sri Ramachandra Medical College campus in Porur, was happy to gauge her progress in an interaction with Sportstar on Wednesday.

“It is more about the maturity that the sport has taught me over the years. Back then in 2019, it was my first year in the senior circuit. Now, I have the patience, enjoy the process and it is fun being in the moment. After the Paris Olympics, I have started enjoying the sport much better,” said Elavenil.

She was pleased with the way she shot in the women’s final in Shymkent, after not being at her best in qualification.

Elavenil Valarivan, who won two gold medals in air rifle in the Asian shooting championship in Shymkent, Kazakhstan. 
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“The qualification and final are so different. In the final, you have to be quick. Mehuli Ghosh was also shooting well. I thought we could both be on the podium. It was not to be. I was able to do my best,” recalled Elavenil.

She is someone who usually doesn’t worry about the scores or the results. “I am not worrying about winning or not. I am following the process and staying focussed on shooting each shot at my best,” said Elavenil, equally thrilled about her mixed gold.

“Arjun was shooting great. In the gold medal match, we were making up for each other, and supporting each other,” she said, happy to have beaten the Chinese and Koreans for the second time.

She would have loved to shoot at the forthcoming World Cup in Ningbo, China, but Elavenil conceded that it’s a welcome break, especially ahead of the World Championship in November.

“In a way, it is good to have a break and focus on training,” she said. The goals are set, but one is not worrying about the results. Anyone can do well on a given day. My job is to stay healthy and be strong physically and mentally. My priority is to prepare and perform at my best,” she said.

Like most shooters, Elavenil is excited about the Shooting League of India (SLI) scheduled after the World Championship in Delhi. She hopes to have a lot of fun in the novel format and help the sport grow further.

Published on Sep 03, 2025