Wiser, more social Elavenil Valarivan ready for the Asian Games challenge

PUNE: Elavenil Valarivan is just 27, but she is already one of the ‘oldest’ shooters in India’s team for the Asian Games.With two Olympics, more than a dozen of World Cups, World Championships and Asian Championships and nine years of shooting under her name, she is certainly the richest in terms of experience. And yet, the Ahmedabad shooter will be excited as a fresher when she takes aim at the 10m air rifle competitions at the Asian Games in Nagoya-Aich, Japan, later this month.Elavenil, who had missed the bus for the 2023 edition of the Asian Games, is happy to be back for the continental Games. “I’m grateful to be a part of the Asian Games again. I’m very excited to participate as 2025 and 2026 have been pleasant years for me. I’ve been pretty satisfied with myself so I’m just looking forward to doing the absolute same thing and being myself,” the Tokyo and Paris Games participant told TOI during the national camp in Bhopal.Elavenil had heartbreaks in the two Olympic participations, but the shooter feels disappointment is bound to happen as so much ride on the quadrennial Games.“The Olympics are different because it’s once in four years and it is the most celebrated sporting tournament in the world. You have expectations, and no matter how much you say, ‘No, no, I don’t have any expectations’, at the end of the day, you know it is important to you, and that’s where the expectations arise,” she said.Born to Tamil parents, Elavenil grew up in Ahmedabad and started shooting when she was 13. Since then, she was tuned to win medals. But now, she just doesn’t chase medals.“At Tokyo I was a young athlete. Coping with the Tokyo disappointment was something that took all my energy. That learning helped me for Paris. After Paris, I think my perspective has changed. Till Paris, it was about winning the medal. Now, it is more about enjoying the sport, and the results are showing,” Elavenil said.The rifle shooter has also made friends off the range.“Last year my brother got married and he was busy with his life so I really wanted to have a life of my own. I started going to social gatherings. Fortunately, I met such amazing people. And the best thing is, none of them are in sports,” she said.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.