India’s Elavenil Valarivan has won gold in the ongoing ISSF World Cup in Putian, China by securing 250.8 points in the 10m air rifle category. This is India’s second gold in the ongoing World Cup event in China, with Manu Bhaker grabbing the other gold in the 10m air pistol category.
Elavenil Valarivan, 20, trumped Chinese Taipei’s Ying-Shin Lin in the World Cup final, which was held on Thursday. Ying-Shin Lin earned the silver with 250.7 points followed by Laura-Georgeta Coman of Romania, who got the bronze with 229 points. With all the other Indians in the fray, viz. Anjum Moudgil, Sanjeev Rajput and Akhil Sheoran, crashing out of the tournament on the opening day itself, all eyes were on the two women.
This is Elavenil’s second senior World Cup medal in her career. The first medal was earlier this year in Brazil when she grabbed the top spot in the ISSF World Cup tournament. She defeated compatriot Anjum Moudgil in the competition that was neck-and-neck till the sixth round, when Anjum Moudgil was eliminated. Elavenil had scored 251.7 in the tournament to earn the gold.
Elavenil Valarivan is currently ranked third in the world.
Hailing from Tamil Nadu’s coastal town of Cuddalore and currently based out of Gujarat, Elavenil had won a gold in the ISSF Junior World Cup tournament in 2018. In the ISSF World Cup held in Munich earlier in 2019, she narrowly missed the bronze. She had won medals at the junior ISSF World Cup events in 2018 in Sydney and Suhl.
The ISSF World Cup tournament is being held in Putian, China from November 17 to November 23. India stands second in the medal tally on Thursday with the two golds won so far.