'The place that gave you heartbreak will also give you a reason to smile': Elavenil Valarivan finds a reason to smile in Japan

PUNE: Four days ago, when Elavenil Valarivan landed in Japan she carried with her, mixed feelings. The shooter had been to the country before and while that experience may not have been memorable, it was certainly the one to not be forgotten.Elavenil, 27, participated in her first Olympics at Tokyo 2021, where she finished a heartbreaking 16th. While preparing for Aichi-Nagoya, flashes of 2021 returned to her mind, but the shooter, older and wiser now, was able to put them aside.“Thoughts of Tokyo Olympics crossed my mind. It was not a pleasant memory, but over the years, I have trained to put the past behind me and focus on the present. I also told myself that I needed to focus on the Asian Games and not the Olympics,” the shooter told TOI.“I was 22 then and if I had to tell something to my 20-year-old today, I would tell her to be patient and trust the process. I will tell her that the place that gave you heartbreak will also give you a reason to smile about and heal the memories of the past,” she said.‘Ela’ emulated her mentor Gagan Narang, who had also won two silver medals at the 2010 Asian Games. While the mentor was first to call her after her victory, he was also the first to give her some valuable advice. “When I was coming here, he had told me to keep an eye on the weather, the typhoon and plan my bus travels accordingly,” Ela said.In her first Asian Games in 2018, Ela had finished 14th in the same event. The Ahmedabad shooter has been in good form for the past two years and along with the form, other positivity around her has also kept in good shape, mentally. “While on the field, it is the technicality that matters the most. We don’t think about anything that can make us emotional. But off the field, it has been a good phase.”I am happy for my coach Neha (Chavan) ma’am to be nominated for the prestigious Dronacharya Award. She has worked very hard for me, and I am very happy that her efforts have been recognized,” she said.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.