Elavenil Valarivan Secures Bronze at ISSF World Cup 2025 in Munich
Elavenil Valarivan's Strong Start at ISSF World Cup
Munich, Germany - On June 11, two-time Olympian Elavenil Valarivan launched India's participation in the ISSF World Cup 2025 by clinching a bronze medal in the women's 10m air rifle event.
Once again, a 9.8 shot proved to be her downfall, reminiscent of her experience at the Paris Olympics last year. During the qualification phase, she recorded a 9.8, narrowly missing the qualification threshold.
In a thrilling competition where the lead changed frequently, Elavenil initially took charge in the finals, scoring 210.8 points. However, her luck shifted dramatically when she shot a 9.8 on her second-to-last attempt, which ultimately cost her a higher placement. She concluded the event with a total of 231.2 points, securing the bronze medal on Tuesday.
Wang Zifei from the People's Republic of China, who had previously set a world record with a score of 254.8 at the Lima ISSF World Cup in April, continued her impressive performance by narrowly defeating Kwon Eun-ji from the Republic of Korea with a score of 252.7 to win the gold medal.
Elavenil had earlier established a new national record during qualification, scoring 635.9 points to finish second. Wang surpassed this with a remarkable world record score of 637.9 points.
In the Ranking Points Only (RPO) category, Ramita Jindal placed 13th with a score of 632.6 points, while Ananya Naidu followed closely in 15th with 632.4 points.
In the men's 10m air pistol final, Varun Tomar secured sixth place with a score of 160.3 points. China's Hu Kai topped the podium with a score of 242.3, edging out Kazakhstan's Valeriy Rakhimzhan, who scored 241.9. Germany's Christian Reitz took home the bronze with 220.8 points. Tomar had qualified for the medal match with a score of 585 points, finishing in second place.
Paris 2024 Olympics bronze medalist Sarabjot Singh participated in the RPO category for the 10m air pistol, finishing ninth with a score of 583 points.
In the women's 25m pistol precision round, Esha Singh is currently in fourth place with 294 points, while two-time Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker is in 15th with 290 points. Bhaker will need a strong showing in the rapid-fire round on Wednesday to remain in contention for a medal. Additionally, Paris 2024 bronze medalist Swapnil Kusale is set to compete on Wednesday in the men's 50m rifle 3 positions qualification round.