Ahmedabad: A sense of palpable relief enveloped the Valarivan household in southern Ahmedabad’s Khokhra locality after ace shooter Elavenil Valarivan clinched silver medals in Aichi-Nagoya. Elavenil had returned empty-handed from the three major multi-sporting events, the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 Paris Olympics, which she had participated in.Elavenil’s mother Saroja told TOI, “Because of the last two shots, she missed the gold. A medal at the Asian Games was missing. In the 2018 edition in Jakarta, her rifle malfunctioned and she missed out the 2022 edition (held in 2023 because of Covid) in Hangzhou. This is the one medal she and we wanted her to win badly. We are relieved.”Despite the double podium finish, there was no big celebration in the Valarivan household. “Her father is happy and excited that she has finally won an Asian Games medal. There weren’t huge celebrations on Sunday also. All family members watched the shooting event at their respective homes. We will plan a gathering after Elavenil comes back on Sept 26 after the conclusion of the 10m air rifle mixed team event,” said Saroja.Her medals mirror the achievement of Gagan Narang, whose Gun for Glory academy she trains at. Narang had won two silver medals in corresponding events in the men’s category at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou.Asked about the significance of the 27-year-old’s achievement, Narang told TOI, “Fantastic. I’m quite happy because I know what she has gone through to get to this particular medal. This silver is worth the price of gold actually with the kind of effort she has put in over the years.”He lavished praise on Elavenil’s evolution as a shooter. “She is a completely different Ela from her early years, in terms of how she approaches the competition, how she understands the sport, its demands, her maturity and more of a smart worker than before,” said the former Olympic bronze medallist.Narang delved into how the Cuddalore-born, Ahmedabad-based shooter worked hard to put the distractions behind. “Disappointments are a part of the journey. We can either choose to get bogged down by them or stand up and take them head on and move ahead. Knowing and seeing Ela on the other side of the tunnel speaks volumes of who she is and how she has evolved over the years,” Narang stressed.He added, “When an athlete wins, they are showered with accolades, and when they don’t, they fight a silent battle. Only the ones who believe in them stick by them. Even if Ela might have doubted her abilities, I and her team not even for a second were in doubt. We believed in her, kept our head down, put in the work and let the performance do the talking.“Ela chose to put her blinders on to shut out the distractions and worked really hard.”And, the result was there to see at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery.
